


Cups of Sugar

by PinkZebraStripes



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Drinking, Drug Use, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Guns, Kidnapping, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Murder, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Stalking, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Torture, Violence, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:55:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 48,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26110753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkZebraStripes/pseuds/PinkZebraStripes
Summary: Moving into a new city is hard but luckily you have the sweetest neighbor living down the hall from you...
Relationships: Danny "Jed Olsen" Johnson | The Ghost Face/Reader, Danny "Jed Olsen" Johnson | The Ghost Face/You
Comments: 257
Kudos: 1106





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a separate story from my Stalking Shadows series and takes place in the early 1990s. The chapters will be split in between both Danny's and the Reader's POV.

Danny Johnson woke up to the sound of a van’s horn backing up outside. He grumbled curses as he looked over to his alarm clock that read 10:35. He had overslept more than usual on his day off but the events from last night had left him feeling physically exhausted.

His latest victim, Anthony Scott, had put up more of a fight than he initially anticipated. Danny sought him out in the first place because he seemed more of a challenge and he slightly regretted picking someone larger than him. At the end of it all, the memory of him driving his knife into Anthony’s neck made him sigh sweetly. Seeing the blood seep into the living room carpet sent pleasant shivers throughout Danny’s body as he reminisced at the events prior.

He had been stalking Anthony for about three weeks, five days, ten hours and twelve minutes. Within that time he learned that Anthony was a personal trainer at the town’s gym and had fifteen clients, three that he was involved in having an affair with. Despite his healthy lifestyle of protein shakes and three hour daily workouts, he would occasionally shoot up steroids to make his body unnecessarily large.

Danny had made a point to spike his drink when Anthony was out on a date with one of his clients. It wasn’t hard as Danny had hired Anthony to oversee his own personal workouts a few weeks earlier. ‘Coincidentally’ running into him at the restaurant, offering to pay for a round of drinks for all his hard work as his personal trailer came all too easy to Danny, or as everyone else knew him, Jed Olsen. It was a risky move in using his current alias to get so close to his latest victim but with the local gym offering a free month’s membership to the Roseville Gazette’s employees, it was an offer Danny couldn’t refuse.

Anthony, being such a largely built man to begin with, didn’t take too well to the drink ‘Jed’ had offered and Danny cursed himself for using such a low dose. Of course the juice junkie would need something more than what his other victims got. However, it all worked out perfectly in the end with Anthony throwing up in his bathroom toilet with Danny sneaking in through an opened window.

A few stabs to the gut and neck would’ve put anyone down but Danny had underestimated Anthony’s strength. He had gotten a few punches to Danny’s head, back and hip before finally succumbing to blood loss. Thankfully, Danny’s Ghostface mask had stayed on the entire time, albeit a bit lopsided in the midst of the fight. Making sure that he had not left any of his own physical evidence left behind, Danny made a quick escape the way he came in, hoping the neighbors were too busy drinking or fighting to bother checking in on their roided out neighbor.

Yelling could be heard outside of the apartment Danny was currently living in and he scowled at the sound of his landlord’s voice. His name was Nick Pax and he was an overweight, alcoholic, pervert who offered a ‘break’ to any of the female residents who couldn’t afford rent that month. Jed made a point to not engage in any talk with Nick but Danny wanted nothing more than to cut him in half from top to bottom.

Danny forced himself out of bed as he trudged over to the bathroom and turned the shower on. Not bothering to let it warm up, he undressed and climbed in, hoping the hot water would soon unwind any knots in his back.

He stayed in for longer than normal, ignoring the water bill that Nick would bitch at him later for. Danny leaned his head against the cracked tile wall when he heard someone banging on his front door.

“Olsen! I can see the steam coming from the hallway! The extra fifty that it costs is being billed to you next month,” yelled Nick.

Danny breathed in deeply, imagining all the ways he would torture Nick if he had the chance. First, he would start by pulling out his teeth one by one; then, slicing his tongue out and shoving it up his-

“We also got a new tenant. The last thing I need is her bitching the hot water has run out,” added Nick. “I still see steam, Olsen!”

Picturing Nick completely dismembered, Danny shut off the shower and grabbed his torn towel off the rack. As he dried off, he scolded himself for indulging in such a simple luxury. The point of being Jed was to gather as little attention as possible. The last thing he needed was people looking at him longer than necessary.

Danny walked out of the bathroom and into his surprisingly kept bedroom. Grabbing a clean, navy blue shirt and black jeans, he quickly got dressed, trying to style his wet, brown hair. His natural blonde roots were starting to show and he made a mental note to grab some more hair dye from the store. Danny grabbed his non-prescription glasses off the dresser and set them on his face, turning his shoulders inward and his gaze downward. Jed was a quiet and humble man, never showing too much confidence to be noticed.

Danny’s stomach grumbled as he headed toward his small kitchen and opened the refrigerator door to expired milk, leftover chinese takeout and a half empty bottle of ketchup. He closed the door shut and grabbed his wallet and car keys off the kitchen counter, wondering if he should head over to the diner off Pine Street or the taco stand that sold the best breakfast burritos in town.

As Danny closed his apartment door behind him, he saw an array of boxes stacked up on top of each other further down the hallway. Figuring they belong to the new tenant, Danny avoided stepping on anything and started to go down the stairs. As he turned the corner, he was met with a large, brown box to the face.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

Danny groaned as he rubbed his nose, trying to focus on the person that had bumped into him. She looked to be around his age, wearing headphones with a discman attached to her hip and looked at him with wide eyes as she quickly set the box down.

“I am such a klutz, I didn’t even hear you! I didn’t break your glasses or anything, did I?” she exclaimed, resting her headphones around her neck.

“No, no, it’s fine,” said Danny. “They’re okay, you just took me by surprise is all.”

“Are you sure? Cuz if they’re broken, I’ll pay you back, I swear!”

“It’s all good, really,” assured Danny with a smile. “These aren’t that great anyways. I’ve been trying to find an excuse to buy new ones.”

“Oh, okay,” laughed the girl nervously as she introduced herself. “I just moved here, hence all the boxes.”

“Jed Olsen,” said Danny as he offered his hand. She smiled as she took it and gave him a firm handshake. Danny kept eye contact with her, trying to ignore the sweat that ran down her neck and into her cleavage. It wasn’t helping that she was wearing a sports bra with a loose tank top and gym shorts that rode a little too high up her thighs. Granted, it was one of the hottest days in Roseville and carrying boxes up and down an apartment building was no simple task.

“Your name is Jed? What are you, in the witness protection program or something?” she asked jokingly. Danny raised an eyebrow at her question and realizing her mistake, she gave a light giggle. “Sorry, that was rude.”

“No, nothing like that. My parents just hated me,” grinned Danny. She blinked and then laughed along with him as she bent down and picked her box from the ground.

“Well, that’s something we have in common. It was nice meeting you, Jed. See you around.” She gave him a short wave and he gave her one in return. He watched her carefully walk up the stairs and disappear into her new apartment.

“At least this one’s better looking than the last one, eh?”

Danny used all his willpower to hide the look of disgust from his face as he turned to meet Nick. His gut was sticking out from his beer-stained shirt and his greasy, black hair hung limply to one side.

Danny shrugged as he tried to brush past Nick, but he placed a firm hand on his shoulder, sending Danny into a silent rage.

“Where ya going, kid?”

“Out.”

“Breakfast then? So you have money on you? Then about that extra fifty you owe me, looks like I’m going to need it sooner than I thought.”

Danny took in a deep breathe through his nose and forced a pleasant smile on his face as he fished out twenty bucks from his pocket. 

“It’s all I got right now,” said Danny. Nick snatched the bills from his hand and tucked them in the drawstring of his pants.

“I thought you were a fancy reporter? They ain’t paying you enough or what?” asked Nick.

“Just enough to get by,” said Danny. “I’ll see you later, Nick.”

“With that thirty you owe me,” snorted Nick. A wave of body odor filled Danny’s nostrils as Nick walked past him and he wanted nothing more than to slice his smirk from ear to ear.

Danny walked out of the lobby and to his parked car a little further down the street. The moving van was parked out front and had a sofa, bed frame and multiple boxes still packed inside. Normally, Jed would’ve stayed behind and lent his new neighbor a helping hand; carrying in boxes, telling her about the missing buttons on the elevator or the fact that her window facing the street had a broken handle.

However, Danny was in no mood to play the character of Jed to the fullest. His body was beaten, tired and his stomach completely empty of nutrition. 

As he got into his car and started the engine, he drove out onto the street and passed by the apartment complex. He saw both his new neighbor and Nick outside on the street while two moving men struggled to lift a couch onto the sidewalk. It only took a second for Danny to see that he was already attempting to flirt with her the way he patted her shoulder. 

Danny let out a sigh of disgust as the thought of killing his landlord grew more prominent in his mind. It would definitely be risky but if he really were to do it, he would have to take Nick somewhere else. Danny would rather slice him up with his signature knife but Nick would have to be a different case. He could take him to the bridge that overlooked the city’s wide river. The body would never be found as it led out to the ocean...maybe he would be able to get a couple hacks in...but then the Ghostface wouldn’t be able to take credit for it…

Danny pulled up next to the taco stand behind a couple cars, already relishing in the smells of the spiced meats and salsa. He got out of his car already with a smile on his face. If there was one person he wouldn’t kill on this earth, it would be Manny who ran the stand by himself.

“Hey Mr. Jed! The usual?” called out Manny with a grin. ‘Jed’ smiled and nodded as he fished out his wallet. Although Manny would give him a discount, Danny always made sure to tip him well.

“This is too much, you know that!” said Manny.

“I insist,” said Danny. “You deserve it.”

Manny gave him a toothy grin and pocketed the bill as he set to work on making his usual. Danny took a seat on a nearby bench and leaned back as he enjoyed the morning sky and sweet sounds of the birds twittering.

“Excuse me, but I found a hair in my son’s burrito. I would like a refund.”

Danny looked over to see a woman in her early forties with short blonde hair and wearing a pink tracksuit. Manny cleared his throat as he wiped his hands clean from his apron.

“I’m sorry ma’am, do you still have the burrito with you?”

“No, why would I? He ate it already,” said the woman crossly.

“But if I can’t see it, then there must be no-”

“Are you calling me a liar!? You know what, are you even certified with the city? I have a lot of friends who work for the government and I can assure you that I can have this place shut down by tomorrow!”

“Ma’am, you already ate your food. There’s nothing that I can do-”

“It’s disgusting how you come to this country and refuse services to the people who provide for you!” shouted the woman. “C’mon Tommy, we have an appointment at the town hall today.”

The woman dragged her son by the arm and got into her shiny, black SUV. Manny’s face was filled with dread as she drove off and Danny felt anger, but mostly excitement course through his body. Taking out Anthony was more of a personal challenge but killing this woman would practically be a service to the community.

Danny walked back over to Manny as he handed over his order to him. Danny gave him a reassuring smile as he opened the foil-wrapped burrito and took a big bite.

“Don’t worry about her,” assured Danny. “Trust me, she’s all talk. You’ll never hear from her again.”


	2. Chapter 2

You let out a groan as you raised your arms in the air, feeling your back crack loudly in your new apartment. You had spent the entire day moving everything in and you still hadn’t finished settling in. There were still stacks of boxes piled up in your room filled with clothes and another stack in the kitchen containing utensils and plateware.

You plopped yourself down onto the sofa and grabbed the remote off the oval-shaped coffee table. As you turned the TV on, you picked up one of the take-out menus your landlord, Nick, had given you. Although the gesture was sweet, you could tell his intentions were quite the opposite. From the way he looked at you when you first met him to the little touches while helping you move, it left you feeling extremely uncomfortable to be in his presence.

However, he was still your landlord and you had already signed a full one-year lease. You had dealt with the usual perverts before and you told yourself that all you had to do was avoid him as much as possible and everything would be fine.

Finally deciding on some Chinese take-out, you walked over to the wall where your phone was mounted. Dialing the number on the pamphlet, you gave them your address and placed an order for fried rice, chow mein and orange chicken.

“Police are currently investigating a gruesome murder of a man slain in his home this past week. Anthony Scott was found dead in his home with multiple stab wounds throughout his body. With the attacker still at large, police are encouraging that if anyone has information to please come forward.”

You blew out through your mouth as you watched the news report go into further details about the crime and how it was possibly related to other murders that were happening in Roseville.

“What a great time to move into such a lovely town,” you murmured. You quickly grabbed the remote again and changed channels. A comedic sitcom came on as you took a seat and watched it until you heard your doorbell ring.

You knew it was probably your food but the news of a serial killer on the loose kept nagging at you. Peeking through the peephole, you saw a young man in his late teens wearing a shirt with the restaurant’s name and holding your bag of food. You let out a sigh of relief as you opened the door and gave him a smile.

“Thanks so much. Keep the change,” you said and handed him a twenty dollar bill as he gave you your food. 

Your stomach grumbled as you set the food down on the coffee table. Grabbing a bottle of red wine from your fridge, you popped the cork open with your thumb and took a giant swig as you greedily opened a carton of chow mein.

As you occasionally flipped through the channels while eating, the room began to get uncomfortably hot. Nick had told you that the air conditioning was undergoing maintenance and wouldn’t be fixed for the next couple weeks. You got up from the couch and walked over to the windows that faced the quiet street. The handle was loose and you wondered if Nick knew about the lack of upkeep in your apartment.

You swung the window open and took in a deep breath of the cool night air. Just before you turned away to go back to watching your show, you saw a dark figure standing underneath one of the streetlights. There was no bus stop or anything around the area and you waited for them to move.

Your heart started to race as the figure tilted its head in your direction. Adrenaline coursed through your veins as you were reminded of the serial killer from the news. You glanced in the direction of your phone still on the coffee table and when you looked back outside, the figure was gone.

“It was probably just a homeless person,” you assured yourself. “Nothing wrong with that.”

As you threw away the food cartons and turned off the TV, you shrugged off any paranoia from seeing the unrecognizable figure. You hadn’t exactly moved into the safest part of town and you were used to homeless people roaming about in your old city. To top it all off, the poor person was probably on drugs and wasn’t even really looking at you in the first place.

That night, you slipped into your bed and entered a dreamless sleep. You awoke the next morning to birds chirping merrily outside your window and the figure from the night before all seemed like the workings of a tired and overactive imagination.

You quickly showered and got dressed, excited for the new day. The reason why you had moved to Roseville was to pursue your dream in running your very own coffee shop. Opening one up back home was way out of your budget and the bank wasn’t exactly thrilled of giving you a loan in such an expensive area. With a lot of hours spent researching, you decided to pack up your life and move to the state of Pennsylvania where renting was cheaper and getting a loan from the bank in a much smaller town was easier than the big city.

You gathered your bag filled with forms and paperwork along with your new apartment keys. Nick had given you two pairs of them, saying if you lost them, it would come with an extra $150 dollar charge. You laughed at the time, thinking it was a joke but the look on his face said otherwise.

“Cheap, pervy bastard,” you muttered as you closed the apartment door. Just as you turned to go downstairs, you bumped into someone hard.

“Oof! Sorry, looks like it was my fault this time.”

Jed gave a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his neck and fidgeted with the strap of his book bag. He was wearing a forest green button up shirt rolled up to his elbows, light khaki pants and shiny brown dress shoes. His hair was styled to the side and his crooked glasses framed his face perfectly.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ll call it even,” you said. “Off to work then?”

“Just about, and yourself?” he asked.

“Yup, though I don’t look as good as you. You pull off the hot nerd look very well.”

The instant the words left your mouth, you wished you could shove them back in. Your cheeks went aflame as Jed tilted his head to the side and gave you a quick once-over.

“I should go to work now,” you laughed awkwardly. “See ya!”

You quickly turned around and hurried downstairs. You mentally scolded yourself for speaking your mind, especially to someone you just met the other day. If he didn’t think you were a total idiot, he most certainly did now.

As you walked outside of the complex, you started to walk down the street toward your coffee shop when you heard Jed’s voice ring out.

“Hey! Did you need a ride? Looks like you’re going the same direction as me.”

You turned to see Jed already halfway into his own car as he motioned you over. It was probably the nicest gesture anyone had offered you since arriving in Roseville and you didn’t want to make it seem like you were ungrateful.

“Um, sure. Thanks, really,” you added. 

“No problem,” he smiled. You got into the passenger seat and pointed down the street as Jed started the car.

“It’s just a few blocks that way and you make a right. It’s next to Magnus’ Book Shop.”

“You mean that shop for rent next to it? You bought that place?” asked Jed as pulled from the curb and followed your directions.

“Yup,” you said proudly. “Well, technically I got a loan from the bank, but it’s mine. It’s going to be the best coffee shop in town.”

“Really? Good for you,” said Jed. “You might have a bit of competition with the local diner but if I’m being honest, their coffee tastes like ass.”

“That’s reassuring. Good thing I splurged on all those imported coffee beans from Columbia,” you joked.

“Anything’s better than store-bought brands. It’s a small town and it doesn’t take much to excite people.”

“You grew up here?” you asked.

“No, just moved here a few months ago actually,” said Jed. “I’m a reporter for the Roseville Gazette. Your coffee shop is actually just down the street from it. I’ll be sure to stop by when you’re open.”

“Thanks,” you beamed. “I know how hard it is to start a business, especially on your own. But I think I can make it.”

“You will,” said Jed. “A pretty girl who runs the local coffee shop will do just fine.” You felt your face heat up again but this time, it wasn’t out of embarrassment. 

“Here we are,” said Jed as he pulled up to your shop. The windows still had newspapers covering them but you had visited a couple times earlier in the year to get some of the larger equipment installed.

“Thank you so much for the ride. I should have my grand opening this Friday, you should come. I’ll give you a cup of my best coffee, on the house.”

“That’s very generous of you,” said Jed. “But really, I’ll pay for it. No offense, but brand new start-ups like these need all the help they can get.”

“You’re very sweet. Guess I got lucky having you for my neighbor.”

“I concur. You should’ve seen the last one; she was an elderly lady that smelled of moth balls and cat urine. I hate to say it but Nick was right; you’re definitely better than her.”

“Ugh, he’s such a creep,” you said as you rolled your eyes. “Well, I better get going. I have to start doing food prep and decorating the place before opening. Thanks again for the ride. I’ll see you later!”

“Have a great day,” smiled Jed.

You gave him a small wave as you got out of the car and fished for the ring of keys in your purse. Finding the key that unlocked the shop’s front door, you placed it in the keyhole and swung the door open as the bell above jingled.

Dust had already gathered in the few weeks that you had been there previously and you groaned at the amount of work laid before you. Thanking yourself for wearing a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, you placed your bag on one of the tables and started tearing down the newspaper that covered the glass windows.

Throughout the course of the day, you swept, mopped and took in orders from food delivery trucks and flower shops. The outside of the shop was already painted a navy blue and a local painter had already signed the shop’s name on the glass window. In gold, cursive, lettering it spelled The Honey Pot, a tribute to your grandmother whose dream was to open the shop with you. She was obsessed with Winnie the Pooh and you remember the days you spent with her were filled with her reading stories from the beloved series or having you watch them on VHS tapes.

“Thanks, Grandma,” you murmured, saying a silent prayer to anyone who would listen. “You really would’ve loved this place.”

By the time the whole shop was cleaned, the food stocked and the flowers neatly placed in pots outside on the windowsills, the sun had already begun to set below the horizon. Your back ached from lifting and moving heavy packages and having to get on your hands and knees so not a speck of dust was in sight. The health inspector wasn’t supposed to show up for another couple of weeks but being in such a small town, you wouldn’t be surprised if they showed up on opening day.

Figuring that there was still enough daylight to walk home, you closed up shop, making sure to lock both the back and front doors. As you walked down the street toward home, you failed to notice the shadowy figure that followed discreetly behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this chapter, I would really appreciate your support by following me at https://www.twitch.tv/gemini_jinx :)


	3. Chapter 3

Danny leaned back into his office chair as he raised his arms into the air and stretched until he could feel his back muscles crack. He had spent the entire night watching his newest victim, Linda Baker. She was the woman who had threatened to shut down Manny’s taco stand a few days prior and Danny had never wanted to kill someone sooner than before.

Usually, Danny would take at least a few weeks of stalking his victims; getting to know their habits, finding out where they worked, who they were friends with, if they had any family, etc. But with such a short time of stalking her, he was already starting to get annoyed.

Linda Baker was a mother of two to her ten-year-old son Derrick and nineteen-year-old daughter Becca. Linda was married to her husband for twenty years, Tom, but the marriage wasn’t exactly the happiest. Linda was overbearing, controlling and a tyrant to everyone in her household. From deciding on what everyone ate, to what they wore and even setting up a chart of day-by-day activities scheduled down to the second. Her poor family couldn’t even take a shit without her knowing about it.

Due to her strict regime, it wasn’t hard to figure out Linda’s daily schedule. She woke up exactly at five in the morning, drove to the gym where she worked out for two hours, drove back home, and took her son to school. Depending on the day, she would either fill it with cleaning the house, book club, and excruciatingly boring PTA meetings. Around three o’clock, she would pick up her son from school and then proceed to cook dinner for the entire family.

Her actions would be admirable if not for her disgustingly horrible attitude. Linda would berate her daughter for taking seconds at dinner, criticize her son for not getting straight A’s, and chastising her husband’s performance in bed. Danny had to hold in his laughter while watching them from the large oak tree outside. The poor bastard couldn’t even get it up without her telling him every single thing he was doing wrong.

“Olsen! You got that first draft ready yet?”

“Almost done,” answered ‘Jed’ as he continued typing away on his computer. “I’ll have it delivered to your desk by the end of the day.”

“Good work,” nodded Martin Moore. He was the editor-in-chief of the Roseville Gazette and personally hired Jed Olsen himself. Despite him being a hard-ass, Danny admired the way he ran the town’s newspaper.

“Hey Olsen, are you going to visit the family of that fitness trainer?” asked Rene, one of Jed’s coworkers. “You did one hell of a piece on that elderly woman last week.”

“Most likely but it’s not looking too good,” said Jed. “I already tried contacting the mother and it turns out she’s not all there.” He twirled his finger in a circle around his head as Rene gave him an understanding look.

“Like crazy with grief or mental hospital crazy?”

“The latter,” replied Jed. “She’s been at the Roseville Institute for about five years now. Anthony would go and visit her every month or so but she doesn’t recognize him.”

“What about the father? Any siblings?” she asked.

“Father abandoned the family when Anthony was just a newborn and no siblings that we know of,” said Jed. 

“Geez, and Martin is still making you write an article? I’m sure the ramblings of an insane woman are interesting but not at all in good taste.”

“I’ll just make something up,” shrugged Jed.

“I’m sure you will. You have a knack for writing things nicer than they usually are,” said Rene. “So, any plans this weekend?”

“Not really,” said Jed. “Actually, there’s this new coffee shop that’s opening on Arden street, right next to Magnus’. I was thinking about checking it out.”

“What’s it called?”

“Uh...I actually don’t know,” admitted Jed. “I know that the opening is this Friday.”

“I’ll tell Bryan,” said Rene, referring to their other coworker. “We need some good news after these murders.”

She started to get up out of her seat when Jed placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Here, I’ll tell him,” he offered. “I have to speak with him anyway.”

Rene nodded her head as she went back to work on her computer. Jed got up and made his way toward Adam’s desk, passing by his other coworkers and giving them a short nod hello. 

“Hello Bryan, how are you doing today?” asked Jed in a polite voice.

“The hell do you want, Olsen?”

Jed gave him a firm smile but Danny wanted nothing more than to grab the pencil off his deck and ram it straight into his eye. Bryan was the top reporter of the Roseville Gazette before Jed moved in but it wasn’t saying much considering there was nothing going on in this boring town.

“There’s a new coffee shop opening on Arden. I’m sure it would be a great addition to this week’s highlight section on local businesses.”

“Oh, so the new guy is telling me what to do now, huh? Here’s a thought Olsen; if you want this lame-ass cafe to make the paper so badly, why don’t you cover it?”

“I would love to but there’s the matter of the murder of Anthony Scott that still needs to be covered and-”

“What’s wrong, Olsen? Can’t handle the pressure?” grinned Bryan. “If it’s too much of a challenge, I have no problem in taking over your workload.”

“Actually, you’re right Bryan; I’ll just cover both myself,” said Jed with a pained smile. “Forget I even asked.”

“Thanks for wasting my time, Olsen,” snorted Bryan.

Jed tightened his fists as he walked away, trying to count his way to ten while Danny pictured gouging out Bryan’s eyes with his bare hands. Jed sat back down at his desk and went back to work on finishing the article about Anthony.

It took him most of the day to finish the article and to write one about the grand opening of the new coffee shop. Unfortunately, without knowing the name of the actual place, there would be no way he would get it finished by four o’clock.

“Seems like I have some field work to do,” murmured Jed to himself. “Hey Rene, I’m going to check out that new coffee shop before heading home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Lucky, you’ll probably get some free food out of it,” sighed Rene. “Have fun.”

“Thanks. Try not to work too hard,” smiled Jed. He grabbed his bag containing his camera, notebook and favorite blue pen as he headed toward the stairs. Jed made a point to wave and smile to his other fellow coworkers, even engaging in small talk on the way out. Everyone at the office loved Jed and Danny made sure to keep it that way. The less suspicions they had about him, the easier it was to continue his other work.

The walk to your shop wasn’t far and Danny smiled as he saw you working inside. He watched you for a bit as you walked from the front to the back of the store, rolling out dough, taste-testing a red jam from the stove, all while cradling the phone on your shoulder. From the expression on your face, whatever the conversation was, it wasn’t going well.

Danny waited until you hung up the phone and put it back on its wall stand. You brushed your hair away from your face as you wiped off the flour from your hands onto your apron. He saw the tears in your eyes start to gather and he gave a sharp knock onto the glass door.

Jed gave her a kind smile and a small wave while you quickly wiped your eyes. He watched as you put on a fake smile of your own and opened the door for him.

“Hi! Um, fancy seeing you here,” she said. “The place isn’t quite ready yet, but you’re welcome to come in.”

“I would love to,” said Jed. “How’s it coming along?”

“Oh, you know, stressful,” you admitted. “Here, you can sit...right here.”

Jed took a seat as you fretted about, wiping the table off of nonexistent dust and combing through the rows of mugs that hung off a rack.

“Would you like a coffee? Actually, it’s kind of warm outside...I can make a smoothie or freshly squeezed apple juice…”

“Coffee is fine,” said Jed. “Am I about to get a sneak peak of the stuff you ordered from Columbia?”

“Yeah, you can be my guinea pig,” you chuckled. Danny watched you carefully as you put the beans in a grinder and looked through one of the small refrigerators. “Would you like some cream and sugar?”

“Yes please.”

While you worked, Danny took the time to look around at your shop, noting the small decorative bumblebees that lined parts of the wall, fairy lights that hung across the ceiling and ceramic honey pots placed on the shelves. It had a very whimsical feel to it and would sure to be a favorite among the locals. 

“Here you go, a fresh cup of imported, Columbian coffee,” you said, placing the steaming mug in front of him.

Jed thanked you and took a sip, relishing in the slight sweetness of the caramel and the nutty undertones. He gave you a thumbs up and the smile he received from you stirred something inside of him, more specifically, something inside of Danny.

“Can I...ask you a favor?” you asked casually.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I have this new cake I’ve been wanting to try for the grand opening. It’s strawberry honey flavor with white icing...would you like to try it?”

“Sounds delicious. I would happily be your guinea pig,” said Jed. 

“Great! Here, I’ll go cut you a slice,” you beamed as you got up. “So, did you just get off work?”

“Sort of. I’m technically still on the job,” said Jed.

“Oh, well what brings you here? Hopes of getting some free food?” you joked.

“Actually, I was wondering if it would be okay for me to do a piece on your shop for the Roseville Gazette? We do a highlighted section on local businesses and I think you would be a great addition. It would help drive up business on opening day,” reminded Jed.

“Really? What would be the cost of that? I know newspapers charge per line or something-”

“No, no charge. It would be free of charge,” assured Jed. “We’re not the New York Times and small businesses like this could really use the advertisement.”

“I, uh, well I don’t know what to say…” you said. Danny watched as you mulled it over your head while bringing out the cake you had mentioned earlier. It was perfectly decorated with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar on top served on a crystal glass cake display.

“It's alright if you say no,” said Jed. “But between you and me, it’s either we write about this place or the fishing shop with their discount on worm bait. Needless to say, I think yours is a bit more wholesome for the people of Roseville.”

You laughed as you set the cake in front of him and just as you took the top off, Jed shuffled through his bag and pulled out his camera.

“This would be a great picture to put next to the article...if you agree to it.”

“You can be a little pushy, you know that?” you said. “But I bet that’s what makes you an excellent reporter.”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t be pressuring you. To be honest, with all these murders going on, it would be nice to have some good news to balance it all out.”

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” you said slowly. “So what would you like to know?”

Jed smiled as he set down his camera and took out his notebook and pen.

“So, first things first; what is your lovely shop called?”


	4. Chapter 4

“Thank you, come again!” you said cheerfully.

An elderly woman wearing a pink sweater gave you a sweet smile as you handed over to her a bag filled with chocolate croissants. As you watched her walk out of your shop, you kept an eye on the other patrons; a young couple sitting in the corner, holding hands and giving each other the occasional kiss, a man in his thirties on his second cup of coffee reading the newspaper and a two mothers with both of their babies in strollers.

Jed had followed through on his promise and published his article the day before. You had read it five times and marveled over his words and the picture that he took. Thanks to his article, your grand opening brought in more people than you could’ve imagined with a line going out the door earlier this morning.

The rush had finally died down and it had left you in a frazzled state. Your feet were starting to get sore and you regretted wearing your new work shoes before breaking them in. Your eyes started to droop, already wanting to go home and crash onto your bed.

The bell above the shop’s door rang out as you forced your eyes open and put a smile on your face.

“Hi! Welcome to The Honey Pot!” you said. “Oh hey, it’s you!”

Jed gave a sheepish grin as he walked up to the counter.

“Looks like the article did you some good,” he said. “Sold out on anything yet?”

“The strawberry honey cake is long gone,” you chuckled. “The picture worked; I already have pre-orders set until next week.”

“Great, I’m glad to have helped,” he smiled. “One large cup of coffee, extra cream and sugar, please. Oh, and a blueberry scone if you have any.”

“Coming right up!”

You quickly gathered his order and when he pulled out money to pay, you gently pushed it back toward him.

“It’s on the house,” you said. “I wouldn’t have as many people here if it wasn’t for you.”

“I can’t do that, here take it,” insisted Jed. 

“Jed, I’m serious,” you said firmly. “What you did was probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me and I don’t think I would’ve gotten as much business if you hadn’t. Besides, you can always pay next time.”

Jed slowly blinked before putting his money back into his wallet, grabbing his cup of coffee and raising it in the air.

“Well, cheers then, to The Honey Pot. May it flourish in our sweet little town.” You looked around and grabbed an half empty water bottle as you lifted it into the air.

“Cheers,” you said. You clinked the two beverages together and took a sip while Jed did the same.

“Excuse me, miss? May I have another refill please?”

“Yes, of course!” you said, looking over to the man with the newspaper. “No cream, extra sugar, right?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Back to work I go,” you shrugged. “You’re welcome to grab a seat if you’d like. Or do you have to go back to work?” 

“I can always say I got held up,” said Jed. “Don’t tell anyone though.”

You laughed as you started another pot of coffee while Jed took a seat in the far corner of the shop. After serving the man, you welcomed another guest, this one being a woman with dyed, blonde hair tightly pulled back into a bun.

“What can I get for you?” you asked.

“Do you have any puer tea?” she sniffed.

“Um...no,” you said. “But we do have lavender jasmine or an earl grey if you’d like-”

“Ugh, nevermind. Just give me a half caff soy latte at 120 degrees with one packet of splenda, stirred.”

You pressed your lips together and turned it into a tight smile as you nodded and started on her order. It was inevitable that you would eventually have to come across complicated customers; you just hoped it wouldn’t have to be on your first day.

You could feel the woman’s stare as you prepared her order but you didn’t let your nervousness show on your face. If worse came to worse, this was your business, you were the owner and if she had anything to say about it, you wouldn’t roll on your back for her.

As you finished her order and placed it in front of her, you caught her eyeing the display of bakery items. Your eyes flickered over to Jed and you caught him giving the woman a cold stare.

“Will this be all for you?” you asked politely.

“Do you have any gluten-free items?” she asked.

“I only have these cinnamon sugar donuts that are gluten-free.”

“But they have sugar in them? How is that healthy?”

“You asked for gluten-free and I gave you the answer,” you said coolly. “If you want sugar free, I have lemon bars or coconut macaroons but those will have gluten in them.”

“So what am I supposed to eat then?”

“If you have a gluten or sugar allergy, I suggest you go somewhere else that can satisfy your needs,” you shrugged. “Are you going to pay for your coffee or…?”

“Isn’t the customer always right?” said the woman icily. “You are the worker and I am the customer, meaning I am right and you are wrong!”

You gave her an incredulous look as you covered your mouth to stifle your laughter. 

“I’m sorry, who are you?” you asked.

“Excuse me!?”

“Like, who are you? Last I checked, you're not my mom, the health inspector, or even an official food critic,” you said. “You’re just a rude customer.”

The shop went silent and every customer inside looked between you and the woman like they were watching an intense ping-pong match. You had worked in the food industry for years before opening your own shop and you were not going to let entitled people push you around.

“What kind of business is this that doesn’t satisfy the needs of the customer!?” screeched the woman. “Get me whoever’s in charge, now!”

“I am in charge,” you shot back. “I’m not only the manager, but I’m also the owner and I have the right to refuse service. The door is that way if you forgot where it is.”

“This is discrimination! You may not know who I am, missy, but I have connections that will get this place shut down by tomorrow!”

The woman hit her hand on the coffee cup toward you, spilling its contents all over the counter. You backed up to avoid the hot drink as most of it fell on your shoes. Before you could say anything, the woman walked out of your shop, slamming the door behind her.

“Fucking bitch,” you muttered. You walked to the backroom of the store and grabbed a few hand towels, a mop and a bucket. The two women with their children had left but Jed, the couple and the man with the newspaper were still in their seats. As you cleaned up the coffee from the counter, the man got up out of his seat and pulled out a five-dollar bill from his pocket.

“Here. This might not make up for her behavior but I hope it helps,” he said as he placed it in the tip jar. “Don’t let her get to you, she treats everyone like that.”

“Thanks,” you said, giving him a half-smile. “Hope you enjoyed your coffee.”

“Very much so. Looks like I’ve found a new place to get breakfast,” said the man. “Have a wonderful day.”

You waved goodbye as you cleaned the counter and the rest of the coffee that was on the floor. It seemed that whoever that woman was had a reputation for being rude to people but her small threat still stuck in your mind. You told yourself that it was just her lying and being dramatic but the thought of closing down your shop so soon left an empty pit in your stomach.

“What a horrible witch. You don’t deserve that.”

You jumped at the sound of Jed’s voice, completely forgetting that he was still there. He was staring outside through the shop’s large windows, watching the woman who was in her black SUV and practically yelling at her daughter in the back seat.

“Things like this are going to happen,” you sighed. “It just sucks that it had to happen on my first day of opening.”

“She can’t keep getting away with this,” muttered Jed. “Treating people like she’s above them.”

“I would say karma will eventually get to her, but it rarely does,” you said. “You don’t think she actually knows people that have the power to close my place down, do you?”

“She does,” said Jed quietly. Your heart sank at his words as Jed caught the distress in your face. “But don’t worry about it. Karma works faster than you think.”

“I hope so,” you said. “What I wouldn’t give to see her get rammed by a truck.”

The words came out a lot harsher than you intended as Jed gave you a surprised look.

“I mean, she’d live, of course,” you said. “Just you know...maybe a broken leg and jaw would stop her from going to places and giving her unwanted opinion...sorry, that sounded way darker than when I said it in my head.”

“No, it’s fine,” chuckled Jed. “It’s refreshing to hear someone speak their mind.”

The woman finally turned on her car and left the parking lot as her tires screeched loudly. You caught her giving you the middle finger which you gladly gave back in return. 

“You’re a little firecracker, aren’t you?” laughed Jed. “As weirdly entertaining as this has been, I really have to get back to work. May I have a refill before I go?”

“You may,” you nodded. “Extra cream and sugar, right?”

“You remembered,” smiled Jed. “That’s good, people like that. It makes them feel special.”

You quickly made Jed another drink in a to-go cup and when you handed it over to him, he pulled some money from his wallet.

“Jed, I already told you-”

“Please, take it this time,” he said firmly. “The last thing I want is to see this place go down.”

Jed grabbed your hand and placed the money in your palm. He held it there for a few moments as you felt heat rise to your face.

“Uh...thank you, Jed,” you said. “You’re very kind.”

Jed gave your hand a slight squeeze and when he pulled away, you felt disappointed from the absence of his touch. You waved goodbye as he exited the shop while you went back to work.

The rest of the day was uneventful, mostly you serving coffee and tea to customers or starting food prep for tomorrow. The sun had just begun to set and the clock that hung from the wall read 4:45. You had just finished a large order for a group of teens who bought a bag of cookies to share between them and you were grateful that they had the decency to leave after they received their food. 

Just as you were about to grab the mop and bucket again, the store’s phone rang out. You let out a sigh as you walked over and picked it up.

“This is The Honey Pot, how may I help you?”

You were met with silence on the other end and you said your greeting again, waiting for an answer. You strained your ears for any sound, thinking there might be a problem with the connection.

“Hello…?”

Heavy breathing finally came through on the other end as you rolled your eyes and let out an aggravated sigh.

“Nice prank call, jerk-off. Very original of you.”

You promptly hung up the phone and walked over to the door of the shop, flipping the sign from open to closed and locked it with your key. The phone rang out again but this time you ignored it as you continued sweeping the floors and cleaning off the tables. It finally came to a stop after the fifth time and you wondered if the caller had been the lady from earlier.

“If that crazy bat thinks she’s going to scare me off by some annoying prank call, she’s wrong,” you muttered. After you finished cleaning everything, you closed up the shop, making sure to keep an eye out for a black SUV on your walk home.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny took another sip from his coffee as he leaned back into his carseat and lowered the volume on his radio. He watched as Linda’s husband and her two kids got into their green, four-door Nissan. The son, Derrick had a summer league baseball tournament going on until eight o’clock that night. Linda was going to join them later and show up with her signature chocolate chip cupcakes as a reward for the team’s efforts.

Danny had been watching the family for the past couple of weeks and his decision to either kill just Linda or her entire family with her was a tough one. Usually, he didn’t mind killing children as young as nine -to be fair, he always killed them the fastest-, but there was something about the way she treated them that made him think they didn’t deserve to die along with her. Not only that, killing families larger than three was always much more difficult and Danny knew from past mistakes that being outnumbered was not something he would like to encounter again.

The father and children finally drove away in their care, leaving Linda by herself. The clock in his car read five o’clock, meaning he had about an hour to get the job done. He made sure to wait another thirty minutes, just in case the family forgot something and had to go back to the house. The last thing Danny wanted was to be rudely interrupted.

The sun was finally starting to set as Danny reached for his duffel bag in the passenger seat. His Ghostface mask stuck out and he gave it a loving caress as he shot another look at Linda’s house.

He could see her through the kitchen window, talking on the phone with a sour expression on her face while taking out a tray of cupcakes from the oven. Danny scanned the neighbor’s houses one last time, recounting how the ones on the left were gone on vacation for a couple weeks and the one on the right was an old lady whose hearing was so bad, you could hear her television blaring from outside her house.

Before leaving his car, Danny drank the last of what was in his cup, relishing in the sweet taste of his frothy butter coffee. You had recommended it to him, hoping to get his opinion to see if it would be worth putting on the menu permanently. He was a little skeptical at first but once the flavors hit his tongue, he couldn’t get enough.

Danny had made a habit of showing up to The Honey Pot every other day, always ordering the same cup of coffee and trying out different pastries you had made. So far, his favorite were the blueberry scones, salted caramel praline macarons, and the apple cinnamon tarts. He never really had a sweet tooth before but now Danny would get cravings different than his usual bloodlust.

Linda had disappeared from the kitchen window, finally giving Danny his cue. He looked up and down the street, made sure no one was watching and grabbed his duffle bag. As he got out of the car, he quickly jogged over to the left side of the house and hopped over the fence. He put the bag down and took out the long, black trench coat, his leather gloves and his dark gray cowl. After putting everything on, he finally grabbed his mask and placed it over his face. No longer was he Jed or even Danny for that matter; he was the Ghostface, the murderous terror of Roseville.

Ghostface walked around to the back of the house and peeked in through the white, veranda doors. The kitchen light was still on but Linda was nowhere in sight. Ghostface gave the doorknob a slight turn and smiled as it went through with ease. It was a bad habit of Linda’s son to leave the backdoor unlocked every time he went outside to play. 

He let himself inside the house, the smell of fresh cupcakes wafting through his rubber mask. They smelled nice, but they were nothing compared to the ones he had smelled earlier at your cafe. You put love and care into everything you baked, not a need to show off to the other kid’s parents, proving that you were the better provider.

The sound of Linda’s shrill voice could be heard from the back of the house as Ghostface crept his way down the hall toward the master bedroom. A slight creek in the floor below him made him freeze in place but Linda continued her conversation.

“...she was absolutely unprofessional! Called me a filthy whore in front of everyone! There were children in there, Walter! We cannot have someone as vile as that horrible woman in our pleasant and peaceful town! Surely, there must be something you can do...someone you can send out to make sure the place is up to code? I swear I saw rat feces on the ground!”

Ghostface wanted nothing more than to grab his knife tucked away in his boot and slash her throat right then and there. But he held himself back, waiting for her to hang up the phone so the person on the other end wouldn’t hear her fateful demise.

Linda continued talking about not only your shop but Manny’s own food stand as well. With every word that came out of her thin-lipped mouth, Ghostface started to grow not only more impatient, but more angry. Sure, he killed people on a monthly basis but at least he gave them the mercy of ending their pitiful lives. 

Linda finally said goodbye as she put the phone back on its cradle and walked into the joining master bathroom. Ghostface listened as she pulled out her make-up bag while humming a top 40 pop song that Danny heard on his way here.

_The way she came into the place...I knew right then and there...There was something different...About this girl…_

Ghostface slowly rounded the corner and studied Linda as she began to powder her face. He retrieved his knife from his boot, raising it higher into the air with each step until he came up just behind her. 

She was so preoccupied with her own reflection that she didn’t see the Ghostface until it was too late. He stabbed his knife into her chest, covering her mouth so nothing could be heard except the upbeat music flowing from the small handheld radio on the sink.

_As she stalked the room...I could feel the aura...Of her presence...Every head turned...Feeling passion and lust… ___

__

__“You have been quite the nuisance, Linda Baker,” breathed Ghostface. He retracted his knife and kicked her to the ground as he brought it down into her back. He relished in the way her blood poured out so easily from her mouth._ _

__

__“First, you report my favorite burrito guy. Not cool,” he said as he wagged his finger down at her. “Then, you go and call health department services on the sweet, young thing that has graced us with her new beloved shop. All because of what, Linda? Do you really hate to see the happiness in others? Or are you, deep down, just a miserable woman who wants to make sure others feel the same way?”_ _

__

__“H-Help...please...don’t...k-kill me…” she gasped._ _

__

__“But see, here’s the thing Linda, you kill all the time! Well, not literally,” continued Ghostface. “But the killing of the soul...now that is more cruel of a punishment than I could ever give. Destroying people’s lives and still letting them live to suffer after; you’re more of a monster than I.”_ _

__

__“You won’t...the police...they’ll give you the chair…”_ _

__

__“Only if they catch me, which they won’t,” smirked Ghostface behind the mask. “But the story I will sell will make national news; devoted mother, darling housewife, slain in her own home while making her infamous chocolate chip cupcakes. America will see you as another tragedy but the people of Roseville...well, they know the truth. They’ll pretend to be sad for the sake of your family but in the back of their minds, they’ll think ‘that bitch fucking deserved it’.”_ _

__

__“My family-” she gurgled out._ _

__

__“Now, I did consider killing them,” mused Ghostface. “But if I’m being honest, it would be way too much work. And if I did, who would I have to interview? Your husband will put on a great show of the weeping widower but he’ll eventually move on to the woman he works with; Carol, I believe her name is. They’ve been flirting for a few years now.”_ _

__

__Ghostface plunged the knife three times into both legs to stop her from crawling. He knew exactly the right pressure points, enough to mobilize her but not enough to have her bleed out before him. Not yet anyways._ _

__

__“Your children will weep of course but as they grow older, they’ll realize what a blessing in disguise your death will be. Derrick won’t have a hatred toward women that might’ve eventually led him to be an abuser, or worse, a rapist. Your daughter Becca will break free from her eating disorder and start loving not only her body, but herself as a person. Years of bringing down a person’s morale often leads to psychological disorders that tend to be irreversible. But you don’t believe in things like that. You believe in praying to an invisible man up in the clouds who hasn’t given a shit about humanity in centuries. Then again, I believe in germs and we can’t see those things either, so to each their own I guess.”_ _

__

___She came at me in sections...With the eyes of desire...I fell trapped into her...Web of sin...A touch, a kiss...A whisper… ____ _

____ _ _

____Ghostface flipped the woman over onto her back as she began to choke on her own blood. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a camera, raising it so that he could be included in the picture._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Say cheese,” he said gleefully. Ghostface took a few photos of Linda dying, making sure to get every angle he could, enjoying every minute as the light faded from her eyes._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Thanks for the fun time, ya old hag,” cackled Ghostface. He stepped over her body, making sure to avoid the puddles of blood so he wouldn’t dirty his boots._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Before walking out the backdoor, Ghostface grabbed one of the cupcakes off the tray as he whistled a merry tune. Once he had taken off his killer attire, he jogged back to his car and started it. He drove further down the street before taking a bite out of the desert and then promptly spitting it out the window of his car. It tasted far too salty and felt like he put a heaping pile of dog shit in his mouth compared to the treats you would make._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Throwing the rest of the cupcake out the window, he drove home and finally pulled up to the curb across from his apartment, grumbling at the fact that his landlord had taken his spot once again. Just as he was about to get out of his car, he spotted you through the curtained window of your apartment._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Judging from your silhouette, you were holding what looked like a glass of wine and dancing to a slow and sultry tune. Danny licked his lips, wondering what tasty little treat you would have him try tomorrow. His eyes roamed downward and rested on the curve of your ass, your perky cheeks peeking out from the red gym shorts you were wearing. He wondered what it would taste like to take a nice, big bite-_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Danny’s train of thought was interrupted as a car drove past with their brights on, blinding him temporarily. Multi-colored spirals clouded his vision as he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. Taking a look back through your window, the light had turned off, leaving the room absence of your drunken presence. Gathering his duffle bag, Danny got out of his car and headed up to his apartment, tired but fulfilled after a long day’s work._ _ _ _


	6. Chapter 6

The last customer finally left the shop as you said goodbye to them and flipped the open sign to ‘closed’. Despite it being the end of the day, you still had a lot of work to do. Preorders for birthday cakes and wedding anniversaries were starting to pile up and you wanted to get a head start before the weekend. One of the cakes for a baby shower was already baked and cooling in the back. The instructions for the decoration was simple; a white-frosted layer cake with iced roses and pink macaroons on top.

A knock at the shop’s front door alerted you that someone was outside and you grumbled at the sound of it. If the customer just wanted something simple like a coffee or to-go item, you had no problem in serving them but you didn’t want to make it a habit of serving after hours. 

As you walked out to the front of your shop, you were surprised to see two men both dressed in suits and ties. You looked past them and saw a car similar to the ones detectives drove. Cops always made you a little uneasy but it wouldn’t hurt to have them on your side if god forbid your place got robbed.

“Hi! I’m actually closed right now but if you need a couple cups of coffee to go, it shouldn’t be a problem,” you said as you opened the door.

“Oh, we’re not here for service, miss. We just have a few questions we’d like to ask.”

The man who spoke was tall, bald, and had dark eyes with a slight southern drawl to his words. The other man was a little shorter and had dark hair that was perfectly styled to the side. Both of them pulled out their badges, informing that they were detectives from the state. 

“I’m Detective Hastings, this is Detective Morales,” said the bald man. “May we come in?”

“We won’t be long. We know how busy you are, especially with opening up a new business,” smiled Detective Morales.

“Um, sure.”

You looked back and forth between the two of them as you opened the door and stepped to the side to let them in. You gestured toward an empty table with two chairs as you walked past the counter.

“I don’t mind giving you some coffee. I made a full pot earlier and I’d hate for it to go to waste. Any cream or sugar?” you asked.

“Black for both is fine,” replied Morales. “I’ve heard great things about this place. The coffee is strong and the strawberry honey cake has become a favorite among the locals. Guess it’s all thanks to that newspaper article, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m really happy how things are turning out,” you said. As you poured their cups of coffee, you noticed that they were observing every inch of your shop. “So, what can I help you with today, detectives?”

You placed their coffee on the table and took a seat across from them. Morales took a large sip from his cup and smacked his lips while Hastings left his coffee alone.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but a murder has occurred a few days ago. A woman named Linda Baker was killed in her own home this past Tuesday night,” said Hastings sternly.

“I heard about that,” you nodded. “I feel so sorry for her family...how are they holding up?”

“They’re distraught as can be expected,” said Morales. “Right now, the best we can do is catch the person behind this so they can have justice and mourn in peace.”

“Of course,” you said. “Sorry, I don’t know much about police work but I’m a little confused as to why you’re here? I don’t even know Linda.”

“We’re trying to figure out what she did before the night she died. It turns out she placed a call to one of her friends the night of the incident; she mentioned you.”

“...I still don’t understand?”

“She came into your shop about a week ago? Tried to place an order but you refused her service,” said Hastings. “Had a bit of an altercation according to witnesses.”

“I wouldn’t say an altercation,” you said carefully. “She was just upset that she couldn’t get her way. As a private business owner, I have the right to refuse service, according to state law.”

“You said something along the lines of her getting hit by a truck,” said Hastings. “Must’ve been some argument.”

“I didn’t mean it like that-it was just a figure of speech-”

“Listen, we know she wasn’t the most liked by her community,” said Morales gently. “But the fact that she threatened to shut your place down when you just opened? Personally, that would make me very angry.”

You stared at them in shock, knowing exactly what they were trying to do. Watching enough cop shows with your parents taught you the whole ‘good cop, bad cop’ routine was always the first tactic in getting a suspect to confess. 

“I know what you’re trying to do and I’m telling you right now, I didn’t kill her,” you said firmly. “Did your witness mention that she has threatened to shut down other business besides mine as well? Have you talked to them?”

“Now, now, no need to get so upset,” said Morales. “Again, we just want to understand what exactly happened here.”

“She came in, acted like a total bitch, threw a cup of hot coffee at me and left,” you said icily. “To be honest, I don’t even know why you’re here. According to the paper, this seems like another string of those Ghostface murders. How is that coming along by the way?”

An ugly look crossed Hastings face and you could tell you hit a nerve. Morales cleared his throat as he took another sip of his coffee and placed a smile on his face.

“There is a possibility that those murders could be linked to Linda Baker’s, yes,” said Morales. “If you could just please tell us where you were Tuesday night between five and eight at night?”

“I was here at the shop ‘till seven, cleaning up,” you said curtly. “Then I went home, had a glass of wine and went to bed.”

“Anyone that can confirm that?” asked Hastings.

“I have security cameras here that cover the inside, front and back of my shop,” you said. “If you really need to know, my landlord, Nick Pax, saw me walk in the lobby when I got home around 7:45.”

“That’s a bit of a gap if you were done cleaning at seven,” said Hastings.

“I walk to and from my home,” you said. “Had to sell my car in order to afford this place.”

“Interesting. And you won’t mind if we have a chat with Mr. Pax?” asked Hastings.

“We just want to cover all our bases,” added Morales. “It’s nothing personal, just normal protocol.”

“Do what you have to, detectives,” you scoffed. “Now, if you could please leave my shop, I still have a lot of cleaning left.”

Hastings shook his head as he stood up while Morales followed. You opened the front door for them but just before they left, Morales turned around and pulled out a card from his inside pocket.

“If you have any information or need to contact us at all, don’t hesitate to reach out. My partner can come off a little strong but we just want to catch this guy.”

“So you do think her murder was by the Ghostface,” you said as you accepted the card.

“We’re pretty sure,” he said quietly. “The way it was done was in the same exact manner as the others...if it helps, we really don’t suspect you. Turns out Linda had far greater enemies than one can imagine. The list is practically endless.”

“I’m not surprised with the way she acted,” you muttered.

“Whether she deserved it or not, the killer is still out there,” said Morales. “A pretty girl like you shouldn’t be out a night, especially with a maniac on the loose. Maybe try asking a friend for a ride until you can get a car of your own.”

“I appreciate your concern but I’ll be fine,” you said. “Have a good night, Detective Morales.”

“You too as well. Be safe.”

You watched as he joined his partner as they both got into their car and drove out of the parking lot. You closed the door behind you, making sure to lock it and flicked the card on the counter. Sure it was terrifying that there had been another murder in Roseville, but there was something inside of you that couldn’t bring yourself to care. Personally, if it was the Ghostface who murdered her, you would gladly shake his hand for doing so.

You spent the next couple of hours decorating the baby shower cake and baking an assortment of pastries for tomorrow. Once everything was stored away in the walk-in fridge, you took another hour in cleaning the back kitchen and the main dining area. It seemed to be getting harder and harder to do everything on your own and you were starting to consider hiring some help.

“I need someone helping me clean at least,” you muttered under your breath. You dumped out the dirty mop water into the large sink and grabbed your bag as you exited the shop through the back. A long alleyway stood in between the shopping center where your shop was at and a large apartment complex that you considered renting but the price was a little too high for your budget. 

Remembering Detective Morales’ warning, you kept one hand in your bag, your fingers grasping onto the pepper spray you had bought before moving to Roseville. You kept an eye and ear out for anything out of the ordinary but the night was pleasantly quiet.

The lights inside your apartment’s lobby were on and your stomach churned as you saw your landlord, Nick, inside watching TV. You hated the way he leered at you and how he always smelled of something sour. 

As you opened the lobby doors, Nick shot a glance at you and smiled, revealing his crooked and yellow-stained teeth.

“You’re out late. Got held up at the office?” he asked.

“Something like that,” you answered. “Hey Nick, um, some detectives approached me today asking about that woman who got murdered a few days ago. They might come in and ask you to confirm that I was here on Tuesday night.”

“Why do they suspect you? You kill her or something?” he cackled. 

“No, they’re just doing their job,” you said flatly.

“Well, that seems like a lot of my time being wasted, talking to cops that don’t really involve me,” said Nick. “How’re you going to make it up to me? I could use a few sweet things right about now.”

Your jaw cracked as he gave you a toothy grin and it took everything inside you not to pull out your pepper spray and take it out on his face.

“Looks like there’s a party in here. Hope I didn’t miss anything.”

You turned to see Jed walk into the lobby with his camera slung around his shoulder and carrying a large duffle bag. He stood next to you and put a hand on your back, sending tingles down your spine.

“We still up for drinks tonight? I can’t wait to see how you decorated your place,” he said, giving a slight tap with his finger.

“Of course! I even brought some leftover sweets from work,” you grinned. “Have a great night, Nick. Don’t stay up too late.”

Nick shot Jed a glare as the two of you walked up the long flight of stairs. When the both of you were out of Nick’s hearing, you let out a long sigh.

“Thanks for coming to my rescue,” you said. “Really, you show up at all the right times.”

“I try my best,” said Jed as the two of you finally arrived at your floor. “Have a good night.”

“Oh, you’re not coming in?” you asked innocently.

“I...well, that was actually just an excuse for Nick to leave you alone,” said Jed.

“I know, but I could use the company, especially after today,” you said. Jed stood quiet as he fiddled with the strap of his bag and you realized you were being too forward. “Actually, nevermind. You’re probably tired from work and-”

“No, no it’s fine. I mean, we can hang out, if you want. But only if you really have leftover sweets from today…” he trailed off.

“I really do,” you said as you lifted a plastic bag. “Hope you like tiramisu.”

“I like anything you make,” smiled Jed. “Give me 30 minutes? I just want to shower real quick, I’m starting to smell like Nick.”

“Oh we wouldn’t want that,” you laughed. “See you soon.”

You watched him walk down the hall and go into his apartment as you went inside yours, hoping he didn’t see the goofy smile that had spread across your face.


	7. Chapter 7

Danny set his duffle bag onto the kitchen table and took his camera off from around his neck, setting it on the table. His neck ached from typing up articles all day and his back was stiff from sitting in the world’s most uncomfortable office chair. He dragged his feet toward his unkempt bathroom and turned the shower on, making sure it was hot enough to steam.

A box of brown hair dye for men sat on the counter as Danny scoffed, forgetting that he had planned to color his hair tonight. His blonde roots had already grown out about an inch, too long for his personal comfort. Luckily, no one at work seemed to notice and if anyone brought it up, he could always blame the hot summer sun for giving him natural highlights. It wasn’t the best excuse but most people overlooked the hunched posture and four-eyed face that was Jed Olsen.

Danny ignored the box and decided he would do it tomorrow as he peeled his work clothes off his skin. He quickly showered, choosing to use one of the more expensive body washes he owned. It was completely out of Jed’s character to choose something so fancy but Danny was getting bored of playing him. 

He tried not to stay in too long, the last thing he wanted was Nick to come up and yell at him again. As Danny got out of the shower and dried himself off, he wrapped a nearby towel around his waist and went back into the living room. Digging through his duffle bag, he pushed past his mask and cowl and grabbed today’s paper. He had written a follow-up to Linda Baker’s murder, covering testimonies from her family.

Just as he suspected, the families were heartbroken but when he interviewed them, he could sense an underlying sigh of relief. The husband, Tom, had a hollow look in his face, but a small light had flickered in his eyes when Jed asked him how he would cope with the loss of his wife. Danny was sure that Tom’s coworker would have no problem in keeping his bed warm at night. His son, Derrick was playing video games when Jed arrived and gave a brief comment on missing his mom, too engrossed in his fighting game. The daughter’s statement, Becca, was surprising yet pleasant to hear.

“I don’t really miss her actually,” Becca had said. “I mean, she’s my-was my mom and I did love her. I just wish she acted better so I could miss her enough.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” said Jed. “Everyone mourns a little bit differently.”

“Are you going to put that in the article?” asked Becca. “Not that I care or anything, everyone hated her.”

“I’ll write that you miss her terribly,” said Jed, giving a small smile. 

Becca had nodded absentmindedly as she focused her attention back to the TV. Jed had given her a reassuring pat on her back while Danny was reeling with laughter on the inside. 

Snapping out of his daydream, Danny grabbed a pair of scissors and cut out the article he had written about the Bakers. He scanned his wall, placing it near the bottom and gluing it next to the one he originally wrote about Linda’s death. He found it amusing how the police would only give him little details to his own murder but tried to work with what he had. If he had to complain about one thing, it was the fact that the police only gave out cut-outs of what the Ghostface looked like, not the entire picture of Danny with his victims.

“I give them the perfect angle with the best lighting at that time of night and they dare leave them out? It’s downright insulting,” muttered Danny. “If they’re afraid of copycats, I can assure that no one does it like me.”

Giving one last glance at his proof of accomplishments, Danny went to his room and pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants and a white shirt. It was a little late at night and he didn’t think he would have to dress up for you if it was just going to be drinks and some treats.

Lazily parting his hair to the side, Danny grabbed his glasses off the table and set them on his face as he walked out of his apartment. He took in a deep breath as he cracked his neck from side to side and gave three knocks on your door. Furtive footsteps could be heard from the other side, along with the sound of something dropping, followed by a low curse. Danny smiled as you opened the door, giving a quick once over at your red gym shorts and a black t-shirt with a cartoon penguin on it.

“Hey, come on in! Sorry for the mess, I feel like I haven’t had any time to clean since I opened the shop,” you said. You stood to the side and let Danny in while he took in your apartment.

There were still some boxes left over from your move but there were certain touches you added that already made it seem like home. An array of colorful succulent plants lined the windowsill, a collection of cookbooks filled the tall, wooden bookshelf, and painted pictures of a beach and garden flowers placed above a leather sofa that faced a medium-sized television.

“Your place looks nice. Way better than mine,” commented Jed.

“Thanks! I try to keep it cozy and minimal so it doesn’t remind me so much of work.”

Danny noticed that you had already pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses that sat on the island table attached to the wall. He looked past it as his eyes rested on the brand new set of kitchen knives tucked away on the opposite counter next to the refrigerator. 

“Hope you like white wine,” you said cheerfully. “I bought one that goes really well with desserts.”

“I don’t mind at all,” smiled Jed. “So, what did you bring today?”

“Okay, so I have a few things and one that I haven’t released to the public, so I’m going to need you to be my first victim and try it.”

“I am always willing to be at the mercy of your food,” chuckled Jed.

“Perfect! Could you open the wine while I set everything up? The opener is in the drawer next to the fridge. I also want your opinion on the presentation…”

Jed nodded and hummed as you went on to talk about your food while Danny set his eyes on the knife set. It was a basic kitchen set with black handles but judging from the plastic still wrapped around them, they hadn't been used. The thought of you bound and gagged beneath him while he sliced parts of your body made him bite his lip in excitement.

“Okay, so I have the tiramisu, cinnamon rolls, and, wait for it, a savory parmesan cheese bread with sun dried tomatoes and scallions,” you said. Danny blinked out of his daydream and turned around, giving you your glass of wine and raised his own in the air.

“Can’t wait to try it,” he said. “Cheers to your coffee shop. May its success continue to grow.”

“Cheers,” you smiled. Danny clinked his glass against yours as the both of you took a sip. It was a little bitter for his taste but he didn’t show it as he greedily grabbed the savory bread. He stuffed it into his mouth, relishing in how the cheese perfectly commented all the peppered ingredients.

“I love it,” he said with his mouth full, reaching for another piece. The large smile that grew on your face made his stomach flutter, something he didn’t usually feel unless he was stalking.

“Great! Does it need something less or maybe more?”

“Never hurts to add more cheese.”

“No, it doesn’t,” you giggled. “If you can’t eat it all, you can always take some with you for tomorrow.”

“But I like to visit you,” said Jed as he licked his lips. “I need my dose of sweetness for the day.”

Danny tried to hide his smirk as you shyly looked away and fiddled with the stem of your glass, taking a huge gulp. He grabbed one of the cinnamon rolls and leaned back against the counter.

“So, how was work? Any more pleasant customers?” asked Jed.

“Not really,” you sighed. “Two detectives came to visit me today, so that was fun.”

Danny stopped mid-bite as his jaw locked in place. He already knew which detectives you were talking about; Fred Hastings and Jose Morales. They were specifically assigned by the department to all the Ghostface murders and Danny had spoken with them many times to get details on what they had uncovered about him. From what he could guess, they were just as lost and confused as the day Danny first started killing and didn’t even suspect Jed Olsen. In fact, they found him to be annoying and persistent, as they did with all journalists who came to them.

“What’d they say?” asked Jed as he took a sip of his wine.

“They wanted to know where I was the day that woman died. Linda Baker? She’s the one who came in and threw that coffee at me.”

“Why would they come to you? Do they really suspect you in her murder?”

“They kept grilling me like they were but Morales said that they didn’t really suspect me. I’m sure it’s just to throw me off or something.”

Danny pressed his lips together and nodded as you continued talking, hoping his expression would pass off as attentive. He knew that Hastings and Morales most likely wouldn’t come to the apartment complex but even the smallest of chances of them showing up would blow his cover.

“...You don’t think they’ll actually come and talk to Nick, do you? The last thing I need is that sleazy asshole making up some lie so I owe him some fucked up favor in the future.”

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” said Jed. “No offense but you really don’t have what it takes to be a serial killer. Besides, I’m pretty sure it’s a man, not a dainty little thing like yourself.”

“Hey! I’m not dainty, I’m strong!” you argued. Danny smirked as you raised your fists like you were going to fight. He groaned as you softly punched him on the shoulder.

“Hmm, maybe you did kill off that old bitch,” laughed Danny but immediately regretted it. Your eyes had gone wide at his words and he mentally cursed himself for forgetting his place. He was supposed to be Jed; kind, caring, understanding, not Danny who lived off of people dying right in front of him. 

“She kinda did deserve it, huh?” you said quietly. “It’s messed up but if the Ghostface didn’t do what he did, my business would be closed. Guess I got lucky he decided to kill her of all people...you don’t think I’m a complete psycho now, do you?”

Danny couldn’t stop the smile growing on his face as he shook his head and took another bite of his cinnamon roll.

“Nah, you sound pretty normal to me,” he chuckled.

You grinned up at him and as Danny licked his fingers, he froze when you put your hand near his face.

“Missed a spot,” you commented, brushing off a dollop of icing from his mouth. Without thinking, Danny quickly wrapped his lips around your finger and sucked the icing off with his tongue. You inhaled sharply with a surprised look on your face. Danny let go of your finger and took a few steps back as he headed for the door.

“I-sorry, that was weird...I should go,” said Jed.

“Jed, wait!”

Danny forced himself out of your apartment as he headed back to his own, mentally kicking himself for making such a stupid mistake.

“Can’t get close or she’ll find out,” he muttered under his breath. “Can’t leave right now, it’s too soon. I’m not finished yet!”

Danny slammed the door behind him and collapsed against it as he sunk to the floor, wondering if he just made the biggest mistake of his career.


	8. Chapter 8

It was a slow day at The Honey Pot as you drummed your fingers on the counter, waiting for someone to come in. Only a handful of people had walked in and most of them had put in to-go orders. The clock read one o’clock and your stomach began to rumble in hunger. You glanced over at the cup of noodles sitting behind the counter and you regretted bringing such a boring lunch from home.

You walked toward the front of the shop and opened the doors, looking up and down the street for any potential customers. The parking lot was empty and as you closed the door, you grabbed a sign from the side of the door that read ‘Gone to lunch, be back in 20!’.

Remembering to lock both the back and front doors, you grabbed your bag and started to walk down the street toward a sandwich spot you heard the locals talking about. It wasn’t too hot of a day and the slight breeze that came in was cool and felt refreshing compared to being stuck in the back area of your shop where the oven was constantly on.

The walk was only about ten minutes before you showed up to the front of the store that read Pasello’s in faded red cursive. There were about five people inside, two in line and the rest sitting down and enjoying their food. As you walked in, the workers behind the counter greeted you as you took a ticket and waited in line.

Reading the menu, your mouth watered at the descriptions of sandwiches containing salami, turkey, and meatballs. Settling on a chipotle pulled portobello with feta cilantro topping, you took a step back and admired their deli section as you waited for your food.

As you watched the workers prep your sandwich, you felt the uncomfortable stare of someone watching you from the corner of your eye. You turned your head and saw a dark figure move out of sight from the shop’s windows.

“Number 32, chipotle portobello!”

You jumped at the sound of your order being called and gave the cashier a smile as you paid for your food, making sure to leave a tip. As you walked out of the store, you saw a street performer tuning her guitar as you sighed and shook your head. Working longer hours at the shop was starting to get to your head and the need for extra help was always at the front of your mind.

You were so lost in thought about hiring someone that when you went to unlock your shop, you jumped as your fingers touched something soft and unfamiliar. 

A pink rose was tied to the handle of the door by a white, silk ribbon. The flower was in full bloom and had a few leaves and thorns on its stem. You blinked multiple times, taking furtive glances around the parking lot to see if anyone was watching you. Your eyes told you that no one was near but you still had the feeling that someone was watching you from afar.

You took the rose and opened the front door as you went into the back room. The gift was probably just a thank you from some of your customers that were becoming regulars; a group of stay at home moms who would host their book club every Wednesday, the man who had tipped you the day Linda came in, and a pair of elderly women who showed up almost every day and ordered the same hot coffee with apple strudels. Now that you thought about it, you overheard one of the elderly women say her biggest joy was tending to her large garden at the back of her house. The thought made you relax a little as you set the flower on the desk and dug into your lunch.

The rest of the day was uneventful as the last customer bought a box full of cinnamon rolls on her way out. Seeing them made you think of Jed and it hurt that he hadn’t shown up at all today. You were caught off guard by his actions the night before but you couldn’t say you didn’t like it. 

Your eyes traveled to the rose and you wondered if maybe he had dropped it off while you were away at lunch. You didn’t think Jed would be the type to leave gifts behind but your heart hurt at the thought of missing his visit.

“Maybe he’ll still be up when I get home,” you murmured. Heading toward the back of the store, you began to fill up the mopping bucket with water when you heard the front door’s bell ring out. You let out an aggravated sigh, mentally scolding yourself for leaving the door unlocked. Putting on a happy face, you straightened your back and walked out to the front.

“Hi! Welcome to the-” 

You stopped mid-sentence to find no one in the shop. Looking through the windows, there was no one in the parking lot, just a couple cars that belonged to owners of the surrounding businesses.

You walked over to the front door and locked it in place, watching out for anything suspicious. As you turned around, the phone went off, making you jump at the sharp ring. You let out a half-hearted laugh at the sound as you went to answer it.

“This is The Honey Pot, how can I help you?”

The other end of the line was silent. Figuring it was a wrong number, you hung up the phone when it rang back again.You picked it up and again, nothing but silence. As soon as you placed it back on the hook, it rang again. You were hesitant to pick it up, but there had been a few times where customers called after hours and you needed the money now more than ever.

“Hello, who is this?” you demanded as you picked up the phone.

“Now, now, is that any way to greet a potential customer?” said a man’s voice.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Thank you for calling The Honey Pot, how can I help you?”

“Let’s see, what time do you usually close during the week?”

“I close at five in the evening,” you answered.

“Oh, so you’re alone then?”

Your mouth went dry at his words as you looked out the front windows, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

“Y-You should try calling back tomorrow during open hours,” you said shakily. “I would be happy to help you in the morning.”

“Now why would I want to do that when I have you here now?” laughed the man. “Cute apron by the way, is it new? The frills add a nice touch.”

Your hand went to the frills near your chest as your cheeks heated up, realizing that whoever was speaking probably saw you earlier that day.

“Who is this!?” 

“You should really get a better lock for your back door,” said the man. “It’s not safe for someone like you to be all alone.”

You dropped the phone onto the ground, too scared to do anything. Your body froze as you forced yourself to turn around and walk into the back room.

The back door was opened, letting the cool evening air in. Thankfully, the room was small enough that there weren’t any hiding spots but what caught your attention was a large knife you used for cutting large cakes placed on the counter. You didn’t remember leaving it there and you also noticed that a handful of the sugar cookies you made earlier that day had disappeared from the tupperware you put them in. You quickly went over to the back door and noticed scratch marks near the lock. As you locked it again, you grabbed a chair and placed it so that if someone did try to break in, the chair would block them from doing so.

The man’s voice could still be heard on the phone as you stomped your way over to it and snatched it from the ground.

“Hello? Yellow? Helloooooo!”

“If this is your idea of some twisted joke, it isn’t funny!” you snarled. “If you don’t knock it off, I’m going to call the cops!”

“So they can do what?” laughed the man. “‘Hi, officer, my shop got broken into and my cookies have been stolen!’ Yeah, I’m sure they’ll make it a top priority. Speaking of, these cookies are delish! You used brown sugar instead of regular, right?”

“Leave me alone and don’t ever call me back again!” you shouted. You slammed the phone onto its cradle, trying to stop yourself from shaking. This wasn’t just some prank made by the local teenagers, this felt like it was something more sinister.

The phone rang out again but instead of fear, you felt something completely different. Hot anger coursed through your body as you tried to maintain your erratic breathing. 

“Fuck off and stop calling this number!” you yelled as you picked up the phone.

“Hello? I’m sorry, I’m trying to call The Honey Pot? Is this the wrong number?”

It was a woman’s voice and you felt your face flush as you pinched the bridge of your nose.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am. Yes this is The Honey Pot, how can I help you?”

“I know you’re closed but is it possible I can place a cake order for this Saturday?”

“No worries, it won’t be a problem at all,” you assured her. “If I could just have your name and a description of what you would like…”

You took down an order for a teen girl’s sweet sixteen birthday cake. As you wrote down the main color as robin egg blue with white ribbons and pearls around the base, you gave her the price which she heartily agreed. You apologized profusely at your rude greeting, explaining that you were getting prank calls all night.

“Oh no need to apologize dear,” said the woman. “Kids these days tend to get bored so they like to pick on the new folk that come around here. Don’t worry, it’ll die down in a couple weeks.”

“Thanks, and you have a great night ma’am,” you said. “Call me if you’d like any changes.”

“I will. Have a great night, dear!”

You hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh as you sagged your body against the wall. Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes and you wiped them away. Feeling drained and slightly afraid to be at your shop any longer, you decided you would just wake up early and clean in the morning. The last thing you wanted was to stay and risk the chance of getting another call from that psycho.

Instead of leaving through the back, you left through the front, making sure to stick to the side of the street where the lamp posts were barely turning on. Summer was coming to an end, meaning the days were getting shorter and night was arriving sooner. If business was steady, it would be at least another month before you could afford a car and you wouldn’t have to worry about walking home at night.

You were about a block away from your apartment when you heard something click from behind. You brushed it off as nothing but tensed when you heard it again. As you turned around to see where the source was coming from, what you saw turned your blood to ice.

A white mask peeked out from the alleyway and you recognized it as the Ghostface from the newspapers. Taking a step back, you saw him raise his hand and wave as you turned around and sprinted down the street. Your heart felt like it was going to burst out of its chest as you barged through the lobby’s doors and ran up the stairs, ignoring Nick’s shouts.

“What the fuck!? If there’s damage, it’ll cost you!”

It took all of ten seconds for you to open the door to your apartment and slam it behind you, locking it as you fell to the floor exhausted.

“What the hell is going on? Why me, why me!?Fucking idiot, I’m so stupid, he knows where I live now!” you rambled. 

Shutting the curtains and placing a heavy side table in front of your door, you struggled to sleep that night as you tossed and turned in bed, the white mask unable to leave your mind.


	9. Chapter 9

“Here, Jed. Sorry it took so long, it’s been busy.”

“No worries,” smiled Jed. “Just try not to push yourself too hard. I know it may be selfish, but I would hate to miss another day without your delicious food.”

You let out a weak laugh as you set a cup of hot coffee in front of him along with a fresh cinnamon roll. Danny watched as you went back to the counter and helped other customers while decorating a cake in between.

The bags under your eyes were so pronounced that even the makeup you put on couldn’t completely cover them. You moved at a much slower pace and judging from the way you drank coffee after coffee, he guessed that you didn’t get much sleep the night before.

Danny covered his smile with his roll, reminiscing the look of fear in your eyes when you saw the Ghostface. It was a great risk in donning the mask at such an early hour but he couldn’t help it. He had told himself that the phone call would be enough, that hearing your frightened voice would satisfy him for the night. However, the way you came back with such false courage stirred the predator inside him. 

Danny took a big bite, licking off the icing that had gathered around his lips. He regretted leaving you that night at your apartment, wishing that it had continued further but Jed wouldn’t allow it. It wasn’t too often that he became infatuated with someone so quickly and he wondered if it had something to do with your attitude towards Linda Baker’s death.

_She deserved it._

Danny thought back fondly of your praise towards Ghostface’s work. Usually, people would be angry, sad or disgusted by it but you...you were the only one who seemed to appreciate it for what it was; art.

For a Saturday afternoon, it was quite busy as Danny saw you take in more orders through the phone. Every time it rang, he saw you jump just a little as you cast a worried glance at it. The sigh of relief that escaped your lips when you realized it wasn’t Ghostface made him chuckle at the sweet sound.

Five o’clock came sooner than Danny expected. He had come in earlier around eleven and you practically begged Jed to stay the day. Danny knew he had shaken you to the core as Jed heartily agreed, jokingly saying he would only stay if he could be paid with free coffee and pastries. You accepted his offer without bargaining, already gracing him with half a loaf of cheese bread.

“Thank you so much for staying, Jed,” you said as you locked the front door. “I just can’t be here by myself anymore, it’s too freaky.”

“You still haven’t told me what’s wrong,” said Jed. “Did someone come in and threaten you again?”

“Yes-well no, not exactly,” you trembled. Danny saw the tears start to form in your eyes as he took a step forward and placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder. You easily fell into his arms as you started to sob against his chest.

“He called me and threatened me! At first, I didn’t think anything of it, just a sick prank, but then I saw him, Jed! He followed me home and now he knows where I live!” you cried.

“Hey, hey, shh, shh, it’s going to be okay,” soothed Jed. “Who threatened you?”

“It was Ghostface,” you whispered. Hearing you say his name sent pleasant tingles down Danny’s spine.

“Did you call the police?”

“Yes, but he was right! Ghostface said that they wouldn’t do anything about it and they haven’t! I even called the detectives who stopped by and they said they would check out the alley. I even asked if maybe a policeman could come by and keep an eye on the apartment but they said until there’s probable cause, there’s nothing they can do. What the fuck is the whole point of having police if they’re not going to protect people!?”

As you continued to shake in his arms, Jed whispered words of comfort while brushing your hair back. Danny pressed his lips together from forming a smile as his eyes settled on the knife that he had left when he snuck in the day before. It had taken everything in him not to confront you in your own shop but he didn’t want the fun to stop.

“...I know this is asking a lot but do you mind staying until I finish cleaning? I just don’t feel safe without someone around,” you whimpered.

“Of course I’ll stay, don’t you worry. And I’ll help clean up too, if you’d like,” said Jed as he pulled back, wiping the tears off your face.

“Thank you,” you sniffled. “I’ll make it up to you somehow, I promise.”

“No need,” said Jed as he shook his head. “The last thing I want is to leave you alone when there’s a killer out on the loose. If something were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself.”

You smiled up at him and tightly squeezed his hands. Danny followed you to the back and helped clean up the store in less the amount of time you usually did. He had to admit that having another person at the shop would definitely make things easier for you but it would make things more difficult for him to have another person to keep an eye on. Truth be told, he really just wanted you all to himself.

“That’s the last of it,” you sighed as you came back from dumping the trash. “No phone calls at least.”

“Let me drive you home,” offered Jed. “We go the same way, I think?”

“Yes, we do,” you giggled. “Guess I lucked out on that.”

Danny watched as you locked the store up, noticing that you triple checked everything and put the knives under the cabinet sink in the back room, covering them with a red, kitchen towel. He tried not to smile, putting that piece of information in the back of his mind for later.

“Okay, I’m ready,” you said. Jed opened the door for you and walked over to the driver’s seat. As he started the car, he caught you looking around the parking lot, probably keeping an eye out for a particular white mask.

The drive home was short and Danny couldn’t help but curse aloud as Nick stole his parking spot again.

“Something wrong?” you asked.

“Not really. Nick just has a habit of parking in my spot when he clearly has his own garage,” scowled Jed.

“We should egg his car or something. I hear if you put baloney slices on it, it’ll strip the paint off.”

Danny looked at you in surprise as you shrugged and gave him a mischievous grin.

“You are one evil genius,” he chuckled as he parked his car on the other side of the street. “I’ll make sure to stop by the grocery store tomorrow.”

The two of you laughed together as Danny walked you into the apartment and up the stairs. Just when he was about to leave for his place, he felt you tug on his sleeve.

“I’m sorry, but I need to ask you for another favor again,” you said quietly.

“Sure, how can I help?” asked Jed earnestly.

“Can you...stay with me? It doesn’t have to be the whole night, just until I fall asleep?” 

Danny tilted his head as he pondered over the offer you had just given him. He had been in your apartment before, but had never given it a full inspection. You had only shown him the main living room and kitchen and he was curious to see what your bedroom looked like.

“You know what, forget it,” you said. “I’ve already asked you to spend the whole day with me because of my paranoia. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t guilt trip you into babysitting me.”

“There is no need to be sorry,” said Jed firmly. “You went through a traumatizing event! Hell, if that happened to me, I would want someone around me at all times too.”

“Thank you, Jed,” you smiled. “Seriously, I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you at this rate.”

“Free coffee for life?” said Jed jokingly. You shook your head and smiled as you opened the door to your apartment.

“How about a pizza instead? I’m a little too exhausted to cook right now...see you soon?”

“Give me half an hour,” nodded Jed.

Danny watched as you closed the door behind you and headed back to his own room. He was relieved that you had suggested he go to your apartment instead of the other way around. No way would he be able to make up an excuse for the numerous Ghostface articles pinned up on his wall.

Danny quickly went to his apartment and showered, his heart thumping at the excitement of seeing more of your home. It almost seemed too easy compared to his previous stalkings but he never had the chance to actually enjoy taking his time.

Dressing in sweats and a faded band shirt, Danny pulled out the last drawer on his dresser and grabbed a small, black bag. He unzipped it and pulled out a plastic baggie filled with sleeping pills. Danny went into the kitchen, pulled out his mortar and pestle from the cupboard, and began crushing four pills into powder. Once it was fine enough, he carefully put the powder into a small glass vial and put it in his pant pocket.

As Danny left his apartment, he gave a couple knocks on his door and smiled when you opened it almost right away.

“Come in! I just ordered the pizza, it shouldn’t take too long,” you said.

The rest of the evening went by uneventful as Jed suggested the two of you watch a movie while eating the pepperoni pizza you had delivered. He listened attentively and consoled your worries at just the right times while Danny kept an eye on the door to your bedroom.

“Excuse me, just need to use the restroom real quick,” you said. Jed nodded and when you closed the bathroom door behind you, he pulled out the vile of sleeping powder and poured it into your glass of wine. Stirring it with an unused plastic fork, he poured more wine from the bottle so it would help cover the taste.

Once he heard the toilet flush, Danny held up both glasses, offering the spiked one to you.

“Not to appropriate drinking as a sign of escape, but it looks like you could use a bit more,” said Jed. You graciously accepted the glass, downing at least half of it in one gulp. Danny pressed his lips together to keep himself from laughing as he took a sip from his own.

“Thanks, I really needed this,” you said. As you sat down next to him on the couch, Danny noticed that you had moved closer to him. 

Danny watched the rest of the movie with you and just as the credits rolled, he felt your head drop against his shoulder. He turned off the TV with the remote and brushed your hair out of your face.

“Hey, sweets, you awake?”

You let out a deep sigh and Danny took that as his cue to get up from the sofa and lift you into his arms. He carried you to your room and gently placed you on the bed, giving you a small kiss on your forehead. Walking back toward the kitchen, he pulled out one of the larger knives from your set and took the plastic wrapping off the blade.

He entered your room again and stood over you with the knife resting by his side, watching your chest move up and down with each breath. Danny slowly crawled on top of you and straddled your waist as he caressed your cheek, bringing the knife down onto your skin.


	10. Chapter 10

The sun peeked through your closed blinds, waking you up with a pounding headache and you were grateful that Sundays were your day off. Your mouth was dry and your tongue felt like sandpaper as you struggled to get up. Heading straight toward the shower, you put the heat on full blast and hissed when you felt something burn on your arms and legs.

You looked down and saw small scratches that covered your forearms and calves. They weren’t too deep but left red marks that were noticeable if someone were to look close.

You finished showering and when you walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around your body, you jumped when you saw Jed sleeping on your couch. His glasses were on the table and he was snoring softly with one of your quilts wrapped around him. You smiled as you quietly backed away into your room and got dressed. It would’ve been awkward to have him see you in nothing but a towel but a part of you wished that he was awake when you came out.

Settling on a pair of dark blue jeans and an off-the-shoulder black sweater, you walked back out to the living room again to see Jed still asleep. You knelt down next to him and gently shook his shoulder.

“Jed, wake up. It’s almost...damn, it’s almost noon.”

Jed let out a disgruntled moan as he pulled the covers over his head. You giggled as you started to tap his shoulder, going faster until he peeked his head out from the blanket and opened one eye.

“Five more minutes,” he muttered. “You kept me up all night with your tossing and turning.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

A faint blush crossed Jed’s face as he cleared his throat and looked to the ground.

“Well, I mean, I didn’t want to leave you alone in case the Ghostface showed up. I thought the bed would be a bit more comfortable-not that I was going to try anything! But you kept moving a lot, gave me a couple hits and kicks so I moved out here.”

“Was I really that bad?” you asked worriedly. “I thought all that wine would knock me out cold. Guess I was more stressed than I thought. It’s weird you say that though, I usually don’t hurt myself when I sleep; I can’t even remember if I dreamed or not.”

“Judging by those scratches, I would say it’s best you don’t remember,” said Jed quietly. He gently brushed his knuckles against your marked up arm when he suddenly withdrew. “I should go. There’s an article that needs finishing and my boss needs it on his desk by tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, okay,” you said, trying to hide the disappointment in your voice. “Thanks again for staying with me, Jed. I feel like I owe you my life.”

“Your food and coffee will do just fine,” winked Jed. As he got up from the couch, he stretched his arms upward and you couldn’t help but peek as his shirt raised, revealing a very toned and muscled stomach.

“I have some pastries in the bag over there from yesterday,” you said, clearing your throat. “Take whatever you want.”

“You’re a sweetheart,” smiled Jed. He took the bag off the counter and right before he left, he pulled you into a hug with his free arm and gave you a soft kiss on your forehead.

“Be safe, okay? And if you have any problems, I’ll be right next door.”

“Um, right. Thank you!” you called after him, too shocked by his actions to answer properly. Your face was still hot after he left as you replayed his kiss over and over in your mind. It was sweet, innocent and you couldn’t help but hate it. You wished his lips had gone down a little further, even a kiss on the cheek would’ve been more welcomed. What he did felt more like platonic, brotherly love.

“What am I even thinking, I barely know him,” you muttered to yourself. Now that you thought about it, you remembered how Jed asked you questions about your life back home, your family and friends, yet not once divulged any personal information about himself. He had mentioned he traveled from state to state numerous times but never really explained who his parents were or where he originally came from. Jed was a man completely shrouded in mystery and you couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing.

A streak of pain seared through your head as you clutched it tightly. You went back into the bathroom, took a few Tylenol, and back into the kitchen as you scarfed down a banana. As you looked around the apartment, you tried to ignore the last few unpacked boxes but knew that they wouldn’t go away on their own.

Taking a deep breath, you walked over to one of them and slowly started to unpack. You put away more of your nicer clothes, a few more bedsheets and lastly your painting easel. You weren’t the greatest artist by any means but painting was a great stress reliever for you and in times like these, you needed it now more than ever.

You set it up in the corner of your room next to the windows so you could get in more light. Taking out a blank canvas, your paints, charcoals, and watercolors, you set them neatly on a small side table and looked out the window, trying to find a source of inspiration.

There wasn’t much going on outside; a few kids playing in the street, an elderly man walking with a cane and a young girl walking her brown labradoodle. It was a picturesque scene but there was something else that kept going back to the front of your mind.

You grabbed a bundle of your charcoal pencils and began to sketch him from memory. First, you started with his face, which was a surprisingly hard shape to draw. As soon as you were somewhat satisfied with it, you went to his eyes and darkened them to the point where your pencil broke. 

It felt like hours before you took a step back and gazed at the final piece. His eyes stared back at you with his mouth gaping open in a silent scream. The background was a mess of black scribbles, his mask being the only white part of the entire canvas.

Drawing out your stalker’s face felt strangely therapeutic as if you were pulling him out of your mind and into a place that could be easily thrown away. A burst of courage coursed throughout your body as you decided that you weren’t going to be pushed around anymore. It was extremely sweet of Jed to stay with you for the whole day and night but he couldn’t be with you all the time.

Grabbing your bag and keys, you left your apartment and headed toward the nearest hardware store. It was further away from your own shop, but the weather was nice enough that you didn’t mind the walk.

You finally arrived at Glesson’s Hardware and walked up to a man at the register with a red beard and wearing a green fishing hat.

“How can I help you ma’am?” he asked gruffly.

“I want to buy a taser. You have those here, right?”

“We sure do,” he answered. “What kind you lookin for?”

“Something small, fast and that can take someone down much larger than me,” you said firmly. “Also, nothing too complicated. Just a simple switch and a button.”

“I got just the thing.”

The man pulled out a small, black box and pulled out a pink taser about the size of your hand. It had a black switch in the middle with a red button right above it.

“Move the switch up one, you get the flashlight,” said the man. He pushed it up and shined the flashlight in your face. You winced as he turned it off, pushing it up to the highest setting. “Move it all the way, you turn it on. Press the red button to tase.”

The loud sound of the taser made you jump a little in surprise and the man grinned at your reaction.

“Trust me, this thing can take out a whole NFL football team and not even run out of juice,” said the man. “Battery should last you about two years.”

“I’ll take it.”

The man wrapped up your taser back in the box and placed it in a plastic bag. You paid with your credit card and after he rang you up, you walked out of the store, feeling more confident about your situation.

You found a bench and took a seat as you took the box out of the bag and unwrapped the taser. Remembering the man’s instructions, you pushed the switch all the way up and pressed the red button. The static sound didn’t scare you the second time and you felt powerful as you let it drag out. You threw the box away in a nearby trash cat and placed the taser in your bag, keeping your hand around it as you started to walk back to your apartment.

As you turned down another street, you realized your shop was on the way home and decided to stop by really quick and pick up some eggs so you could have something to eat later. You now had a bad habit of eating food meant for your business since it was so much easier ordering from a food stock company than actual grocery shopping.

You walked down the alley with a firm grasp on your taser and opened the back door. The lights were off and as you took a quick look around, you let out a sigh of relief when nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Opening the refrigerator door, you grabbed half a carton of eggs and placed it in the bag from when you bought the taser. As you walked out the back and locked the door behind you, something bright caught your eye in the alley.

A cherry red gift bag with matching tissue paper lay at the bottom of the steps from the shop’s back door. You looked up and down the alley to find no one around, just the busy noise of afternoon traffic. Your heart began to thud against your chest as you took a step forward and knelt down. You pushed the tissue paper away and looked inside, confused at what you were actually looking at.

You placed your hand inside as your fingers touched stiff material and pulled out an assortment of leather and chains attached together. A note fell out from the bag and with shaky fingers, you slowly picked it up and read it.

_Can’t wait to see you in this._

You dropped everything in horror, realizing that they were restraints. Scrambling to stand up, you sprinted out of the alley way and ran until you collapsed against a brick wall a block away from your apartment. You struggled to breathe and tried not to let the tears fall down your face. 

It seemed like forever until you could finally detach yourself and walk stiffly to your apartment. There was always a possibility that the gift wasn’t for you, it wasn’t exactly addressed to you. Maybe it was for one of the other shop owners and was placed at your back door by mistake.

“It’s just a mistake,” you whispered to yourself as you walked into the lobby. Nick was sitting at the front desk and glanced up at you from reading his newspaper.

“Ya got a delivery. Told the guy to just leave it by your front door.” Your heart nearly stopped at his words.

“W-Who was it from?”

“I dunno, a delivery guy,” scowled Nick. “Just a heads up, I ain’t signing for your shit next time.”

You nodded absently and forced your legs to move as you trudged up the stairs. As you came to your floor, what you saw made you almost scream that you had to cover your mouth from emitting the sound.

The same red bag was at your doorstep along with a bouquet of red roses. Your whole body trembled as you walked over to it and noticed another note attached to the flowers. You knew that if you opened it, you would never be able to sleep well again but your body turned against you and unfolded the small paper.

_You forgot something._


	11. Chapter 11

Blood gushed from his mouth as the man watched Ghostface stab his girlfriend multiple times next to him. He tried to get up and help but there were so many stab wounds on his legs, he couldn’t move to help. Danny enjoyed soaking in their fear as he violently grabbed the woman up by the hair.

“Olsen…”

He slit her throat slowly, making sure the boyfriend saw every gory little detail. It was a risky decision to spend time with the victims, especially since their security alarm already went off (which he quickly deactivated) but the risk of getting caught always gave him an edge that made him want to push his boundaries even further.

“Olsen? Olsen!”

Danny snapped out of his daydream to see his boss Martin, and everyone else staring at him. The Roseville Gazette was having their weekly meeting and Danny mentally kicked himself for not paying attention. 

“So what’s your answer, yes or no?” demanded Martin.

“I, um...sorry?” asked Jed. His coworker Rene winced as she slightly shook her head while Bryan snickered. 

“I asked if you’re willing to work together on a piece with Rene?” sighed Martin. “The Roseville County Fair is in a couple weeks, I need a few articles advertising it beforehand- mostly historical- and another recounting the events being held while it’s going on. Can you do it?”

“Yes, no problem at all,” said Jed.

“You sure, Olsen? You seem a little off lately,” commented Bryan. “I can team up with Rene, we haven’t done a partner project in a while.”

Rene let out a disgusted grunt while Bryan gave her a wink. Danny knew that they had hooked up when they first started working together and Rene had confided in Jed saying it was the worst mistake of her life.

“I am completely fine working with Rene,” said Jed firmly. “How’s that fluff piece you're working on Bryan? You know, the one with the pet adoption center? It’s great news and all, but the fact that you have to write about it every other week must mean you’re running out of ideas.”

“There has been a spike in adoption rates thanks to me! What have you done besides creating fear and paranoia? The Ghostface stories can only last for so long!” shot back Bryan.

“Are you still upset that I got to cover the Ghostface murders? What, surprised that the newbie did a better job than you?”

“The only thing that I’m surprised about is how you’ve kept your job this long when you’re barely here! Too busy flirting with that new pastry chef I bet! Is she really as sweet as her cookies?”

“Enough!” yelled Martin. “Anderson, my office, now! Olsen, go home, you’ve put in enough work for today.”

“What!? He’s the one-” started Jed but Martin cut him off.

“I don’t have time to be babysitting a bunch of spoiled brats! Leave your work at your desk and take the rest of the day off.”

Jed got up out of his seat and left the conference room, purposely slamming the door behind him. Normally, Jed would’ve made a more graceful exit but Danny was getting tired of Bryan’s bullshit. He was a trust-fund kid who filled his head with delusions that he was a great writer and thought his work was deserving of the public’s eye. The one thing that Danny resented about him was that he got into the state’s top university due to his parent’s donations while Danny had to grovel through minimum-wage paying jobs just to pay for community college.

As Danny went outside the building, he was greeted with fresh air and hoped it would clear his head. Usually, Jed wouldn’t let Bryan get to him so easily but for him to bring you up just to embarrass him was something Danny couldn’t take lightly. So what if he had been visiting you a lot, it’s not like it was any of his business how he spent his day. He got his articles in on time and even picked up other people’s slack if needed. 

A bright, yellow frisbee flew across Danny’s face as he stepped back and saw two kids chasing after it.

“Sorry, mister!” one of them yelled. Danny looked around and realized he had intentionally walked to a local park. Spotting a park bench not too far off, he took a seat and tried to relax.

“I need a distraction,” he muttered to himself. Danny looked out in front of him and started people watching.

He saw a young mother feeding her baby and watching her other two children play in a sandbox. A group of teenagers hid behind the public restroom, eating candy and smoking cheap weed. A man in a clean suit walked past him carrying a briefcase while barking orders into his cell phone.

All looked to be potential victims but Danny didn’t feel the same excitement as he usually did. They were all so predictable that picking out one of them for his next work would be a waste. Sure, these people had darker secrets behind closed doors but none of them gave him that feeling as what could only be described as falling in love at first sight.

Bored with everyone around him, Danny got off the bench and started walking toward your shop. He was in need of sugar and attention and considering how freaked out you were by Ghostface, you would surely give him both.

When Danny reached the front of your shop he noticed someone new standing behind the register. A young man in his early twenties was ringing up customers and bringing out orders from the back. Even though he looked young, he was at least six feet tall and built like a linebacker. 

As Danny walked into the shop, the young man looked at him and greeted him with a smile. Danny’s eyes flickered toward his name tag that read ‘Roger’.

“Hey man, welcome to The Honey Pot,” said Roger. “What can I get ya?”

“A large coffee with extra cream and sugar. Also, if you have any of those apple cinnamon tarts, I’ll take two, ” said Jed.

“For sure. Give me a sec...that’ll be $8.95.” 

As Danny handed him the money, he asked Roger if you were in the store today.

“Oh...uhh...she’s not here right now,” said Roger, taking a quick glance toward the back room. He quickly grabbed Jed’s order, spilling some of the coffee on the counter and hastily putting his tart in a small box.

“If you could just let her know that Jed stopped by, I would really appreciate it.”

“Uh, sure, I guess I could tell her-”

“Jed! It’s you!” you said, walking out from the back. “Here, Roger, you can take your break now. I can handle the front.”

“Are you sure?” asked Roger worriedly.

“Yes, I’ll be fine,” you laughed weakly. “Seriously, go take your break. You deserve it.”

Roger puffed out his chest as he shot Jed a suspicious look and headed toward the back room. Danny smirked at the young man’s bravado but Jed kept on a straight face as he looked down at you.

It had been almost a week since he’d last seen you in person and you looked more terrible than ever. The bags under your eyes were so dark and sunken in, it looked like you purposely put black eyeshadow under them. Your once bright eyes were a watery red and looked as if you’d been crying non-stop while your nails were practically bitten down to the bone. 

“Here, let’s sit,” you said, motioning toward an empty table. Jed took a seat across from you and gave you a worried expression while Danny soaked in your stressed state.

“Are you okay?” asked Jed. “No offense, but you look terrible. Is it Ghostface again?”

“It’s getting worse,” you whispered. Danny watched in amusement as your face crumbled, letting out shaking breaths. “That’s why I hired Roger. He may not be the smartest but he’s a big guy. It just feels safer having someone else here.”

“I understand,” said Jed. Danny tried not to roll his eyes, as he faced much bigger and stronger people before. “If you need anyone else to stay in the shop with you, I’m always here.”

“Thanks Jed, but I can’t take you away from your life,” you said sadly. “I just can’t get him out of my head, all those phone calls he keeps making…”

Danny inwardly chuckled, reminiscing of when he called you throughout the week, taunting you as he watched you from atop the building across the street. It was an abandoned apartment complex with the fire escape conveniently unlocked. Not wanting any intruders, he had bought his own padlock and would keep the entrance to the fire escape secure so he could spend his time watching you in peace.

“...it’s his voice Jed, and knowing that he can see me all the time while I’m here is driving me crazy. Thank god he hasn’t called me at home…”

Jed gave an understanding nod while Danny made a mental note to try and get your house phone. Usually, it was the first thing he would acquire while stalking his victims, but he could tell from the sound of you pacing back and forth in the middle of the night that he was always on your mind.

“...and that’s not only the worst part,” you said as your lip trembled. “He’s been leaving me gifts.”

_...What?_

“Gifts? What do you mean?” asked Jed slowly.

“At first I thought it was you,” you mumbled. “That night, when you left after you...the next morning, there was a pink rose tied to the door of the shop. I didn’t think anything of it and I should’ve asked you to be sure but then you acted like you didn’t care for me that way-”

“Sorry, not to cut you off, but you got gifts, as in more than one?” asked Danny. 

“Y-Yes, it’s been happening all week,” you trembled. “First it was the rose...and then when I went to leave through the back door, there was this thing...it looked like a harness, to tie me up with.”

Danny’s heart began to thud as his eyes traveled past you to look through the shop’s window. It didn’t look like anyone was watching but he knew better than anyone on how to hide without being seen.

“...and when I got home, the harness was still there along with a bouquet of roses. And he leaves me notes, saying how much he loves me and I’m the most gorgeous woman he’s ever seen...it’s freaking me out Jed. And then this morning I got...”

“What? Tell me, I need to know!”

“There was a picture, like a polaroid,” you whispered. “It looked like a basement...and there was a mattress on the floor...a-and a doll...with my picture on its face…”

You started to hyperventilate as Jed got out of his seat and knelt next to you as he rubbed your shoulders. The tears had finally escaped as they poured down your face.

“Did you talk to the police? What did they say?” demanded Danny.

“They don’t care!” you cried. “They said whoever it is will eventually get bored and stop. I told them that it’s Ghostface, I know it is, but they said it’s not in his M.O. to leave things behind!”

“They’re right,” said Danny quietly. “That guy you hired, Roger, does he drive you home after work?”

“Yes, it’s why I hired him,” you said bitterly. “He was the only one that had a car and was willing to give me a ride.”

“I’m going to fix this,” said Danny firmly. “Whatever happens, always have someone with you, okay?”

You nodded as Danny gave you a quick peck on your forehead and walked out of the shop. As he walked back to the Roseville Gazette to get his car, he felt the blood rush to his head, clenching his fists so tightly he could feel the skin break.

Ghostface should’ve been the cause of your sleepless nights, not some perverted punk who probably couldn’t even get it up. Whoever this guy was, they were treading on dangerous territory because Ghostface didn’t share his toys with others. He learned from that mistake long ago and vowed to never do it again.


	12. Chapter 12

“Thanks Roger, I really appreciate it,” you said as he pulled up to your apartment. “The extra gas money will go into your next paycheck.”

“You don’t have to, ma’am. I really don’t mind driving you home after work,” insisted Roger. “After all that creep is doing to you, you should hire an actual bodyguard.”

“That would be nice,” you sighed. “I’ll see you on Monday. Enjoy your weekend.”

You gave him a short wave as you got out of his car and into the apartment lobby. Nick was asleep, snoring and with beer bottles, empty beef jerky bags and cheeseburger wrappers all piled up on his desk. Your nose crinkled at the smell of his body odor as you quickly walked past him and up the stairs.

As you got to your floor, you saw that the light was off at Jed’s place and wished that he could spend the night with you again. Since the polaroid picture, you hadn’t received any more gifts but it had just put you on more of an edge than ever.

You unlocked your door and quickly turned on the lights, your eyes flickering over to the Ghostface painting.

“I’m home, you son of a bitch,” you muttered. You dropped your bag to the floor and went straight to the fridge, pulling out an already opened bottle of wine. Popping off the cork with your thumb and taking a long swig, you sauntered over to the face that had haunted you for the past few weeks.

“No gifts from you today? What happened, run out of money? Not like what you got me was super fancy or anything,” you slurred, taking another drink. “Cheap bastard.”

You pressed your free hand against the painting and pushed it with your finger, watching it fall loudly to the ground. Placing your foot over his face, you pressed into the canvas until you heard it start to crack. You downed the rest of the bottle and threw it in the trash can, letting out a weak sound of triumph as it landed inside.

As you walked into your room, you kicked off your shoes and started to take off your sweater when something on your bed caught your attention.

A light pink, babydoll negligee lay on your bed with silk bows on each strap. You blinked multiple times through your drunken haze, trying to remember how and when it got there.

You took a step forward to touch it when you felt someone grab your arm and twist it back while covering your mouth with a damp cloth.

“No! Mmph-Mmph!”

The pain in your arm was agonizing as you inhaled something that smelled strongly of disinfectant. You tried to fight back but your body went limp as your vision was covered by darkness.

***

The constant pounding in your head forced you to wake up as your whole body shivered erratically. You tried to reach for your blanket but your hands grasped at nothing as you blinked through the sleep in your eyes.

You were in a room surrounded by gray, bricked walls with leaky pipes on the ceilings. The cement flooring had large cracks in it and across from you sat a large work table with tools, rope, and a rusty hacksaw. A wooden staircase stood next to it and you could see a faint light peeking from underneath the door above.

Bile rose in the back of your throat as you got to your feet to make a run for the stairs. Something hard pulled you back as you came crashing to the ground, scraping your knees and the palms of your hands. You cried out as you turned around to see an iron shackle around your ankle with a four foot chain attached to a nearby pipe. Grabbing the chain with both hands, you pulled on it as hard as you could but it remained securely in place.

“This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening. Wake up, wake up!” you whispered frantically. You went to pinch your arm when you looked down at your body and gasped at what you were wearing.

The same pink lingerie you found on your bed fit your body almost a little too perfectly and was uncomfortably tight around your chest and waist. You gagged and began to hyperventilate as you wildly looked around, trying to see any other way of escape.

The sound of the door opening from up the stairs froze you in place as you crawled toward the farthest corner where a dirty mattress lay. You muffled a scream as you realized that this was the same room of the picture that had been sent to you. As heavy footsteps drew near, you prepared yourself to see the silent, screaming face that had been stalking you for so long.

“Ah, you’re awake. I thought you were never going to wake up.”

A man with black greasy hair tied into a short ponytail wearing a navy polo shirt and acid washed jeans tilted his head at you as he finally came down the bottom of the stairs. Your mouth went agape as you recognized him as the man who gave you the large tip when Linda Baker came into your shop.

“Y-You-You’re-”

“Lawrence,” the man smiled. “I don’t think I ever introduced myself properly. I guess it’s because you seemed so busy at work, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

You stared at him, now knowing what to do or say. His eyes roamed over your body and you felt extremely self-conscious as you tried to cover yourself up.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“W-What?”

“Do you like what I got you?” he nodded toward your attire. “The color compliments your skin perfectly.”

He narrowed his eyes at you when you didn’t answer and your brain wracked for an answer that would satisfy him.

“It’s really nice,” you said quickly. “I like it a lot.”

“What about the other gifts?”

“Yes, them too!”

“Then why’d you throw them away?”

Your mouth went dry at his words as he walked closer to you, forcing you to move further away until your back hit the wall. He knelt down next to you and you noticed a gun securely strapped to his waist.

“Answer me.”

He raised his hand to your face and you flinched, expecting him to hit. You jumped as he softly caressed your face and leaned forward to give you a kiss on the cheek. You whimpered as his hand trailed down your shoulder, stopping to pinch one of the bows and go further down to your waist.

“Please, stop…” you whispered.

“I need an answer,” he chuckled. “I was kinda hurt, you know? All my hard earned money went to waste.”

His hand finally stopped at your inner thigh and started rubbing small circles against it. You bit your lip as he slowed down and gave you a light pinch.

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “I was scared.”

“Was it the harness? I didn’t think you’d be the type of girl to be into that sort of thing but we can work on that,” said Lawrence eagerly. “I can teach you how to be the perfect pet.”

Your skin crawled at the word ‘pet’ as you looked up at him through your tears.

“Please, just let me go. I won’t tell anyone, I swear!” you pleaded.

“But why would you want to leave? You’re home now,” he smiled. “Don’t you like the room I set up for you?”

“This isn’t a room!” you screeched. “It’s a prison! You have me tied up for fuck’s sake!”

Lawrence gave you a surprised look and let out a laugh as he stood up and walked over to the workbench. Your body tensed as he rummaged through a bag set to the side and pulled out a harness similar to the one he had given you.

“Technically, you’re not tied up _yet_. The first one I sent you was more of a beginner set,” explained Lawrence as he turned around. “This is what I really want to see you in.”

He held another harness, this one filled with more complicated loops, chains and a steel bar attached to it.

“You don’t have to do this. You-We can talk this out, like normal people!” you babbled. “We barely even know each other, I just found out your name!”

“But that’s the beauty of it!” smiled Lawrence widely. “We can get to know each other, through time.”

Lawrence walked over to you and grabbed your hand as he tried to put it through one of the leather loops. Your flight or fight instincts kicked in as you used your other hand to rake your nails across his face.

“Agh, shit!” he shouted. As he released your hand, you reared back your leg to give him a kick but he quickly grabbed your hair by the scalp and banged your head against a nearby pipe.

You literally saw stars as you fell back against the mattress. Your head felt like it was going to burst with the constant ringing but you could faintly hear Lawrence talking somewhere in the background.

“Fucking bitch...stupid little _whore_...sorry, I didn’t meant that-you didn’t mean to hurt me, you just got spooked is all...it’s your first time, you don’t know any better…”

You struggled to get up by using your arms when you felt your legs being pulled toward him, laying you flat on your stomach.

“Please...don’t do it,” you murmured as you struggled to form the words. “I don’t want it…”

“Is that what you think I’m going to do?” said Lawrence in disgust. “Like I said, we will love each other with time. It feels so much better when you actually want it...calling out for me, begging for my touch.”

You began to sob as he attached the bar between your legs so you couldn’t get up and placed a collar around your neck that went down to bound your hands behind your back. Lawrence turned your head so you could face him and you cried even harder as you saw him holding a ball gag in one hand and his gun in the other.

“Now, this basement is pretty much sound proof, but I really don’t want you making a racket down here. So, I’m going to put this on you and if you refuse, well maybe you’d like this in your mouth instead?”

Lawrence pressed the gun against your lips and you shook your head as you tried to hide your face from him.

“I’ll be quiet, I’ll be quiet,” you mumbled.

“Good girl. Now-”

Footsteps could be heard from upstairs as both you and Lawrence froze in place. Judging from the look on his face, you could tell he wasn’t expecting anyone to show up.

“You wait here,” he whispered. He clicked the safety off his gun and slowly made his way up the stairs. You were about to cry out for help, but stopped from doing so. If the police were here, wouldn’t they have announced themselves upon arrival? And even if they did show up, at most they needed a warrant. Maybe Lawrence’s neighbors saw him bring you in and alerted the police?

As Lawrence crossed the threshold from the basement into the room upstairs, the other set of footsteps stopped moving. You held your breath as you heard Lawrence’s cautious footsteps walking above you. As you strained your ears, you could hear him open a door and walk further away.

Judging from the sound of his footsteps, it seemed he had walked through the entire house. You could hear him start to head back toward the basement door when his footsteps came to a sudden stop, followed by a banging sound and a loud thud.

The basement door slowly opened as you struggled to get out of the restraints. Heavy boots walked down the stairs and when the figure finally came into view, you saw the white mask of the Ghostface


	13. Chapter 13

The Ghostface slowly sauntered over to where you were with knife in hand. Danny relished in the way you cried harder with every step he drew. As he stopped right above you and knelt down, he cupped your chin with his gloved hand. You held your breath as he soaked in all the fear that was in your eyes, your lower lip constantly trembling.

“Please...don’t kill me,” you whispered.

Danny cocked his head to the side and bellowed out in laughter as he stood back up and headed up the stairs.

“Aw come on Sweets, we’re just getting started!” said Danny gleefully. He opened the door and grabbed Lawrence by the arms as he dragged him down the stairs. Danny dropped him to the ground and spotted a metal chair tucked away in the corner. Bringing it out so that it faced you, he also grabbed some rope that was bundled on the workbench and propped Lawrence up on the chair.

“God, he weighs a ton,” Danny grunted. “It’s always the pervs that are the heaviest.”

As he expertly began to tie him up, he occasionally shot glances at you to make sure you were watching.

“There, see? Now he can’t hurt you,” said Danny. “Why are you looking at me all weird?”

“He’s...you’re not...I thought you two were the same person,” you gasped as you struggled in your restraints. “You’re working together?”

Danny gave a disgusted grunt as he brandished his knife and tapped the blade on top of Lawrence’s head.

“I would never stoop so low and work with this amateur,” sneered Danny. “I mean for fuck’s sake, a sex doll with your face on it? It’s goddamn embarrassing!”

It was almost insulting for you to assume that he would be working with someone else but it couldn’t be helped when Danny really thought about it. What horrible timing it was for him to unknowingly share you while at the same time putting himself at risk. If Lawrence was stalking you around the same time he was, he might have seen something he shouldn’t; the Ghostface’s true identity.

“Consider yourself lucky I got here in time,” said Danny. “You should be grateful that I chose to keep an eye on you.”

It was actual luck that Danny had just come back from work and happened to see Lawrence carrying you out of the apartment lobby. To anyone else, it looked like a sweet boyfriend piggybacking his drunk girlfriend to his car, even going as far as giving you a kiss on the cheek. 

Jealousy filled his body as he had carefully followed Lawrence back to his house, making sure to keep at least one car in between them. He had spent the whole week trying to figure out who else was stalking you and it pissed him off how little he had to go off on. He would never admit it out loud, but Lawrence was skilled in the art of being unseen and unfound, something that Danny personally prided himself on.

“Please, let me go,” you said, interrupting Danny’s thoughts. “I’ve seen his face but not yours! You can get me out of this thing and leave! I’ll call the cops and tell them I got loose!”

Danny hummed in consideration as he walked back over to you and ran his hand along the back of your legs. Your body shivered at his touch and he was pleased to see his hands left goosebumps in their wake.

“Now, why would I do that when I have you here?” he asked playfully. “As cheesy as it is, I kind of like seeing you this way.”

Danny saw you bite your lower lip and feeling bold, gave you a light smack on your ass to which you emitted a soft cry. He smirked as you turned your face away from.

“What’s wrong, Sweets? Can’t handle a little-”

“Get the fuck away from her!”

Danny let out an aggravated sigh as he turned to Lawrence who was awake and struggling to get out of the ropes. He walked over to him and backhanded him hard across his face, blood dripping from Lawrence’s nose.

“We were right in the middle of a conversation, _Lawrence,_ ” said Danny. “Very rude of you to interrupt.”

“You-You can’t have her...she’s mine,” gasped Lawrence.

“No! No, because I saw her first!” yelled Danny. “Like, who even are you? Some nerd who buys the most boring lingerie, predictable BDSM toys and has a basement with a dirty mattress and tools from the fifties!? You’re so stereotypical, it really gives a professional like me a bad name.”

“You won’t cherish her, you’ll just kill her! You’ll waste her!” shouted Lawrence. “I can see the headlines already; ‘Ghostface strikes again, by doing the same, boring shit he always does’!”

Danny’s anger flared up as he gripped his knife and stabbed Lawrence in the eye. He let out a horrible scream and Danny grinned behind his mask as he retracted the knife and watched as blood, puss and remnants of his eye poured from his socket. 

“You’re right Lawrence, I am getting a little predictable,” said Danny. “I should be more...adventurous with my kills.”

Danny walked past Lawrence toward his workbench and rifled through one of the toolboxes. He didn’t like to stray from his preferred weapon of choice but tonight wasn’t entirely about his own enjoyment; it was about proving a point.

“I wonder if you were planning on using any of these on her,” mused Danny as he picked up a set of pliers. “Actually, now that I think about it, you’re too much of a pussy. You just want to dress her and fuck her, like you do with that demented doll over there.”

Danny grabbed Lawrence’s ponytail and pulled it back as he pinched one of his front teeth with the pliers. He cast a glance back in your direction and was pleased to see you watching in absolute terror.

“I’m doing this for you,” he said. With great effort, he pulled as hard as he could until he fully extracted the tooth from Lawrence’s mouth. Danny’s ears rang to the point where it was almost painful as Lawrence’s screams echoed throughout the basement.

“Now that feels good!” whooped Danny. “The cops won’t even recognize you by the time I’m through with you.”

“You’re...a coward,” gasped Lawrence. “You hide behind a mask.”

“Well no shit Sherlock, it’s not like I want to get caught,” said Danny. “You running about without one is rookie mistake number one. You think you’re not that memorable, but trust me, you would be surprised how people will notice the tiniest of details. Like your god awful hair-style. Did you actually think she would find you attractive with that on your head? Absolutely pathetic.”

Danny threw the pliers to the side and grabbed his knife as he drove it into Lawrence’s knee. A copious amount of blood poured out as Lawrence screamed and Danny was a little disappointed that he wasn’t lasting as long as he hoped.

“Stop it, just stop it! I can’t take it anymore!” you shouted. 

Your sudden outburst made Danny turn around in surprise as he dramatically slapped his hand on top of his mask.

“How could I be so stupid? Here I am, being completely selfish when you’re the real victim here. You’re the one he kidnapped and dressed you in...whatever that is,” said Danny as he twirled his knife. “Gross, that means he probably saw you fully nude, huh?”

Your face went from ashamed to rage within seconds and Danny laughed as he went back over to you and fiddled with the restraints.

“Alright, this shouldn’t be too hard. I mean, he probably bought all this stuff from that porn shop off Highway 99, and let me tell you, the quality is way below then what they sell it for,” said Danny. 

He threw the bar that strapped your legs to the side and easily cut the leather binds with his knife. You groaned and tried to sit up as Danny eyed the cuff wrapped around your ankle.

“Hmm, should be a key around here,” he muttered. “Hey, Lawrence, where’s the key at?”

“Fuck you!”

“Alright, fine. Can you _please_ tell me where the key is at?” asked Danny.

“I ain’t telling you shit!” spat Lawrence.

“Ugh, I don’t even know why I bother,” sighed Danny. “I try to be nice and it gets me nowhere.”

Danny quickly patted down Lawrence and let out a chuckle as he found the key tucked away in Lawrence’s sock. He turned back toward you and motioned for you to come closer.

“Come on, get over here. You want to leave this place, don’t you?” he asked.

Danny waited patiently as he watched you stare at him, finally taking tentative steps forward. You stopped as far as the chain would let you, just a couple feet away from the two. Although you couldn’t see it, Danny smiled as he flipped his knife and handed it out to you.

“Here, do your worst,” he said.

“W-What?”

“Finish him off. He kidnapped you, was planning to rape you and would eventually grow tired and kill you. This is your chance for some justice.”

You stared at him dumbfoundedly as clicked his tongue and walked behind you. He slowly wrapped his arms around your body and placed his bloodied knife in your hand, raising your arms up so that they were pointed at Lawrence.

“You can do it. I know you have it in you,” whispered Danny. Your natural scent filled his nostrils and he could smell the fear that radiated off your body. He leaned his face into the crook of your neck, making sure you could hear him as he whispered into your ear.

“He deserves it. Just like that bitch who tried to shut your place down,” he breathed. “Look, he’s already unconscious. It makes it so much easier just to end it right now. Trust me.”

Danny released his hold on you and watched as you held your stance. He could see you mulling over the idea of killing Lawrence as he swiftly retrieved his camera from his inner coat pocket. Before you could actually do anything, he took a quick snapshot, the flash making you blink erratically.

“What the- what did you do?” you asked frantically.

“Just a little picture, for insurance,” said Danny.

“Insurance on what?”

“On us, silly,” laughed Danny. “We can’t have you telling the police on what went on here.”

“But I told you that I wouldn’t mention you!” you exclaimed.

“I just can’t take that risk, Sweets. Not when I’m going to let you go,” said Danny as he lifted his camera. “If the police just so happen to find this camera and you in it, with me leaving my signature, it doesn’t make you look innocent, does it? In fact, it looks like we were in on this together. I mean, your fingerprints are all over my knife.”

Danny watched as you looked down at the knife and instantly dropped it as it clattered to the ground.

“I-I don’t understand! Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because I haven’t finished having fun with you yet,” said Danny. “To be honest, I wanted to wait a little longer to reveal myself but the universe had other plans. And if you rat me out to the police, our fun will be over. I won’t be able to watch you as much anymore.”

Danny reached out his hand to caress your face which you quickly swatted away. He laughed as he retrieved his knife and threw the key on the ground next to you.

“Since it’s clear you won’t kill him, I guess I’ll have to. Not that I mind,” he said. “Go on, get out of here. Go home and drink yourself to sleep like you always do.”

You glared at him as you swiped the key off the ground and unlocked the cuff around your ankle. Danny stepped off to the side, further away from the stairs to let you pass.

“I won’t hurt you...unless you want me too.”

With those words, Danny laughed as you sprinted past him and up the stairs. He followed and watched through the kitchen window as you sprinted past the front lawn and down the street.

“Well, that was fun,” said Danny. “Time to go back to work.”


	14. Chapter 14

You curled up even further under the covers as you heard knocking on your door. It continued for a few more moments and then finally stopped as you tried to control your body’s constant shaking.

It had been three days since you had been kidnapped by Lawrence. You were still in shock that the Ghostface had set you free and you couldn’t help but feel extremely paranoid since then. He had been stalking you for weeks before Lawrence, so why didn’t he take the opportunity to kill you?

_He still wants to play with you._

There were moments where you wished he did kill you in Lawrence’s basement; that way you wouldn’t have to be stuck in your apartment, too emotionally terrorized to even leave. You tried to shove the memories deep into your mind but they kept coming back, regularly waking you up in the middle of the night.

Despite the trauma that you were enduring, there was an unnerving part of you that couldn't help but feel in debt to Ghostface. If he hadn’t shown up, you would still be stuck in Lawrence’s basement, subject to all of his sick fantasies and desires. The worst part was that you still kept the picture of him in your living room, a distorted shrine to your unlikely savior.

Your stomach rumbled and yearned for hunger, making you groan in pain. You hadn’t eaten for days, too sick to even put anything in your mouth without throwing it back up. Another pulsing cramp made you gag outwardly as you slowly unwrapped yourself from your covers and forced yourself to get out of bed.

You shuffled over to the fridge and opened it, your eyes wandering over leftover take-out boxes. Closing the fridge door, you looked through a nearby cupboard and spotted some expired saltine crackers. Grabbing a sleeve from the box, you went into your living room and plopped down onto the sofa, turning on the TV in hopes that it would provide a distraction.

Soap operas and game shows seemed to be the only thing on as you settled on one that involved guests figuring out a common term or phrase. As you munched on your crackers, you grew bored of it and started flipping through the channels when the Ghostface’s mask caught your eye on screen.

“...Coming at you live from the Channel Five Studio, there has been another Ghostface murder in the city of Roseville. This morning, a man named Lawrence Doyle was found in his basement brutally tortured and murdered. Police say they have evidence proving that the Ghostface is behind this attack and are still on the case to finding out who this madman is.”

You watched the rest of the report as they brought up previous victims, counting a total of six so far. You realized that Ghostface was planning on making you his seventh, yet going to the police now would only put you in a guilty position. With a picture of you ‘attacking’ Lawrence and the desperation of the detectives trying to solve the case, you were sure they would charge you with murder or at least accomplice to it.

You reached for another cracker and realized that you had finished the entire sleeve. Feeling satisfied that you got some nutrition, you turned off the TV and went back into your room. Just as you were about to crash back down onto your bed, you felt a cool breeze on your left side.

Your bedroom window was wide open with the curtains softly billowing by the evening wind. Nothing in your room seemed disturbed but you felt the coldness of a knife against your throat before you could even move.

“Don’t scream, I don’t want to kill you. At least, not yet.”

The knife trailed around your neck as the Ghostface slowly walked in front of you. Your eyes couldn’t even meet his dark ones as you kept them glued to the floor, too terrified to even meet his gaze.

“Look up, Sweets.”

You pressed your lips together as you forced yourself to look at him. It wasn’t as noticeable as before, but being this close to him, you could see the black mesh in the eyes of the mask and the shiny, silver belts that ran across his waist.

“What are you doing here?” you whispered.

“You weren’t at work today. It’s not very wise for a shop to be closed for so long when you just recently opened.”

“Is that why you’re here? To give me business advice?”

“No, not really,” chuckled Ghostface. “I just wanted to let you know what happened with our dear friend Lawrence. I figured it would be better to hear what happened to him if it came from me.”

“I don’t want to know! Just leave!”

Ghostface tilted his head to the side and took a step forward with his knife pressing harder at the base of your neck, forcing you to walk back until you hit the wall.

“But you deserve to know what happened,” said Ghostface earnestly. “It’s not like the news is going to give out any details. Don’t you want to know what you could’ve done?”

To hear what actually happened to Lawrence frightened you to the core but if he didn’t want to kill you right away, wouldn’t it be best to let him have his moment so he could leave as soon as possible?

“Fine, tell me.”

Ghostface hummed as he raised his knife to your face, setting it gently against your cheek, the tip brushing the ends of your eyelashes.

“He was awake when I walked back down the stairs,” he started softly. “Started telling me to go fuck myself but then he did bring up an interesting offer. Wanna hear it?”

“Not really.”

“Well, I’m gonna tell you anyways,” he laughed. “He proposed that we share you, like some fucked up custody agreement. Of course I had to say no. It’s a real pain when I have to share my possessions; they usually end up broken when I get them back.”

“I’m not your toy,” you hissed. “Just tell me what happened already!”

“Alright, alright, calm down. I know you’re excited but I’m trying to create an ambiance here,” said Ghostface. His knife went down to your stomach as he let it rest there. “As much as I hate to admit it, he was kinda right in saying I do the same thing over and over again. So I switched things up; stabbed him right in the gut and dragged it all the way across.”

He mimicked the motion on you as your skin began to prick in pain at the line he left. You felt him press harder into your skin but you didn’t move for fear of his knife penetrating your stomach.

“His guts spilled out onto the ground so easily. It was quite a mess,” said Ghostface. “I grabbed one of his intestines and wrapped it around his neck, forming it into a neat little bow tie. He prided himself on being such a gentleman, I thought it best to help him look the part.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“It was pretty gross, they kept bursting every time I tried to tie the knot. Got it on the third try though,” he said gleefully. “Okay, I lied, it was more like the fifth. You really missed out on a good time.”

“You told your story, can you leave now?”

“But I just got here! Don’t you want to celebrate your first kill?”

“I didn’t kill Lawrence!” you hissed.

“That’s not what the evidence says,” murmured Ghostface. He cupped your face with his hand, his gloved fingertips gently brushing your lips. “I could tell you wanted to do it though. I know the first time is always the hardest but you just need a little...push.”

He inserted his finger into your mouth and the only thing preventing you from biting down was the knife still pressed on your stomach. You swallowed hard at the thought of him gutting you, and in doing so, wrapped your lips around his thumb and sucked it ever so softly. Ghostface took in a quick breath as his shoulders tensed, bringing his face closer to yours.

A sharp knock erupted from your door as he quickly released his hold on you.

“It’s Detective Hastings and Morales. May we have a word with you?”

Your eyes were stuck on Ghostface as he placed his finger against the mouth on his mask, indicating for you to be quiet.

“Remember, if they catch me, you go down with me. We’re in this together now.”

You glared up at him as you gave him a slight shove with your shoulder and walked out of your bedroom. You looked behind you as Ghostface gave you a knowing nod and faded back into the shadows.

Brushing your hair back with your hands and straightening out your wrinkled shirt, you opened the door and tried not to look too nervous.

“Hello officers, can I help you?”

“Hello ma’am, you remember Detective Hastings and I?” asked Detective Morales. You gave a short nod as you looked at the two, both with bags under their eyes and smelling of cigarettes and coffee.

“Is there something I can help you with?” you asked.

“Well, you probably heard the news, but there’s been another murder by the Ghostface,” said Morales. “We just wanted to stop by and make sure you were okay, considering the previous reports you gave us.”

“I’m fine,” you said firmly. “Despite your lack of effort in trying to protect me.”

“The force is spread pretty thin as it is,” said Morales. “Listen, do you mind if we come in? We just have a few more questions for you, maybe there’s something you saw that can help us get more information about this guy.”

“I’m actually really tired,” you said. “Maybe next time.”

You went to close the door when Detective Hastings slammed his arm against it, preventing you from closing it all the way.

“Listen ma’am, we don’t have the luxury of time right now,” he growled. “How about you let us know where you were this past Friday night?”

“Home, like I always am,” you shot back.

“Anyone can confirm that?”

“My employee, Roger Davis,” you said. “He gave me a ride home after work.”

“Alright, then how about Saturday? We noticed you weren’t at work,” said Hastings. “Seems a bit foolish to be closed on the weekends.”

“I’ve been sick,” you hissed. “Believe it or not, I actually care about my customers and don’t want them catching a cold. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go back to bed now.”

“Don’t you care that there is a murderer on the loose? You could end up being his next victim! Now if you could please let us in-”

“Do you have a warrant?” you asked.

“I-Excuse me!?” sputtered Hastings.

“I said, do you have a warrant?” you said icily. “If you don’t have a warrant to my apartment, then I don’t have to let you in.”

“Ma’am, please understand,” said Morales. “We’re just trying to help you.”

“Help me? If you’re trying to help me, then where the hell were you guys when I said I needed help in the first place!? I called you twice and you told me that you would look into it, but did you? No! You said you would send a cop car to check up on me. I looked outside my window every single night but no one showed up! You only help when it’s convenient for you. Maybe if you tried a little harder, that man wouldn’t have been killed!”

You slammed the door in their faces as your face grew uncomfortably hot. A part of you wanted to take everything back and let the detectives know exactly what was going on and who was in your apartment, but it would just make you all the more suspicious. If you could just get your hands on that camera…

You were afraid to walk back into your room but did so anyways, quickly grabbing a kitchen knife on your way in. Firmly grasping it in your hand, you entered your room only to find it empty. You checked inside your closet and behind your full length mirror when something resting on your bed caught your eye.

It was a polaroid picture of you sleeping and judging from the clothes you were wearing, it must have been taken only a few short hours ago. 

You snatched it off from your pillow and was about to throw it away when you noticed a small arrow at the bottom. You flipped over the picture to see scribbled writing in black ink.

_I’ll always be watching._


	15. Chapter 15

Danny threw away his dirtied gloves and scowled as he caught himself in the mirror with a dark stain on his forehead. He turned on the sink and ran his hands through the water as he hurriedly tried to wash off the mark.

A quick rap at his door startled him as he knocked over the bottle of hair dye, the last few drops spilling onto his bathmat. He grumbled as he snatched it off the floor and dunked it into the trash bin, still wiping furiously at his forehead.

“I’ll be there in a minute!” he said, trying his hardest not to sound annoyed. You had made plans to go shopping with Jed at the local farmer’s market and at first, Danny dreaded the idea of doing such a mundane thing. Playing as Jed meant he would have to fully resist the temptation of seeing you again as the Ghostface tonight.

Grabbing a black baseball hat and a gray hoodie, he quickly put them on and glanced at the hallway mirror, satisfied that the mark had finally washed away. As he opened the door, Jed put on his best smile as he looked down at you.

“Sorry about that. Ready to go?” he asked. 

“Yes!” you nodded. “I’m actually really excited, I haven’t been to a farmer’s market in ages! Thanks for coming with me by the way, you didn’t have to.”

“It’s nice to go out and not be stuck in my apartment all day,” said Jed. “If I’m being honest, I’m kind of putting off an article I have to finish.”

“Oh yeah, I was going to ask you about that,” you said, clearing your throat. Jed shot a curious glance as he opened the lobby doors as the two of you got inside his car parked out front. “How do you do it? The Ghostface stories I mean. Does it ever get stressful?”

“Well, there are deadlines I have to meet,” said Jed. “But I guess you’re wondering more how it affects my psyche.”

You nodded as Danny scrunched his eyebrows, trying to figure out how to explain without giving himself away. 

“It sounds strange, but in order to write these things, you have to distance yourself from the situation,” said Jed. “The news must always be unbiased, purely giving the facts of what happened. Some writers take certain liberties and put their own opinion but that’s not our job; it’s to inform the people, not project our inner thoughts onto them.”

“I see,” you said. “I only ask because, well, I’ve started reading your articles about the Ghostface.”

“Oh, have you?” said Jed with an amused grin.

“And it seems like you do more than tell everyone what he does. It’s almost like you admire him.”

Danny unintentionally gripped the steering wheel as he peeked at you from the corner of his eye. You were studying him intently and he thought out his next words carefully before speaking.

“Can I tell you something?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“It’s not that I admire him,” started Jed. “It’s just that...I need him.”

“How so?” 

“He gave me a career,” shrugged Jed. “I came to Roseville on a whim, hoping to make a name for myself. You might know this already, but trying to get a job as a full-time journalist isn’t the easiest. In a really messed up way, I have to thank him.”

You were silent for several moments and Danny wondered if he had said too much. He pulled into the local community college that held the market every Saturday and parked in an empty space as he finally looked over at you.

“Guess we better go before it gets busy,” said Jed. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” you said softly.

Jed got out of his car and quickly walked over to the other side to open the door for you. You gave him an appreciative nod as you gathered your bags.

“We should go to the dried fruits section first,” you spoke up. “I’m thinking of a new cookie recipe I want to try.”

“What did you want to make?” asked Jed.

“So I have two ideas,” you said, your tone slightly brightening. “One is a biscotti with dried cranberries and almonds and the other is a pear kugel with prunes.”

“I have no idea what that is,” said Jed.

You laughed and explained what kugel was while Jed escorted you throughout the market. As he listened, he watched the other people browsing the market in search for his next victim. Killing Lawrence was satisfying but Danny missed the actual stalking part. It just wasn’t the same when he knew every single little detail about them while plunging his knife into their chest.

“Here, let’s go to this one,” you said excitedly as you grabbed his hand. You led him to a booth with a girl with red-orange hair and thick glasses behind the counter. She greeted both you and Jed with a bright smile.

“Hi! If you have any questions, just let me know,” she said cheerfully. “One bag is seven dollars but if you buy two, it’s twelve.”

“Thank you,” you smiled. Jed watched as you sifted through the bags of dried mangos, cranberries and prunes and accepted taste samples from the vendor. Danny eyed the girl and noted that her name tag read ‘Mallory’ with smiley stickers that covered the frame. She seemed to be in her early to mid-twenties and wore a bright yellow shirt with frayed, blue overalls.

“Everything here is all homemade,” said Mallory. “The fruits are grown at my grandmother’s house, except for the prunes. I do those myself.”

“How nice. Are you here every weekend?” you asked.

“Pretty much, except maybe during the winter,” said Mallory. “Fruit doesn’t taste as good then.”

While the two young women talked, Jed looked past Mallory and saw she had an old, army green backpack covered with buttons of boy bands and cute Japanese characters. School books based on physics and environmental science peeked out from the top zipper with a neon pink flashlight keychain that dangled off to the side.

“Thank you so much, come again!” grinned Mallory.

Danny gave her a small smile as he followed you over to the next vendor. Mallory seemed close to your age although the two of you didn’t really look alike. You had a more mature demeanor and Mallory still had that naive innocence. He wondered if she lived on campus or had her own place. If she lived in a house it would be much easier but if it was a dorm situation, Danny certainly couldn’t say no to a challenge.

“...Hey, Jed? Hellooo?”

Danny blinked and smiled as you gave him a weird look. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders to which he could feel you slightly tense.

“Sorry, I was spacing out there for a bit. What did you say?”

“Um, I was just saying we can go now,” you mumbled. “Unless you want to get something?”

“I’m all good if you are.”

You gave a short nod as you looked away while Danny smirked at your reaction. As he approached his car, he let his hand brush against the back of your neck, giving it a gentle rub. He watched as you blinked multiple times and bit your lip, too embarrassed to even look him in the eye as he held the car door open. 

The car ride back home was quiet but short as Danny purposely filled the dead air with rock music. He let out a sigh of relief, seeing his spot was empty for once, and parked his car in front. Nick was nowhere to be seen as he followed you through the lobby and up the stairs.

“Thanks for coming with me,” you said. “So, want to come in for a drink?”

Danny wasn’t surprised at your sudden offer and nodded his head as he followed you into your apartment. It was the same since he had last been here except there was one thing that stood out from everything else.

A black and white painting of the Ghostface stood in the corner next to the large windows. The canvas looked cracked in certain places but there was no mistaking the face of the silent scream.

“Oh shit-sorry, you weren’t supposed to see that,” you said. You went to go cover it up with a towel but Danny latched onto your arm and held you back.

“No, don’t,” he said. “I want to see it.”

Before you could even move, Danny took big steps toward the painting and stood in awe. The lines were far from professional and it had rough smudges around the edges but it had captured the true essence of who he really was.

“You probably think I’m crazy.”

Danny turned to look at you with your eyes drawn to the floor and furiously biting the nail of your thumb.

“I just had to get him out of my head. I figured if I just put his face down onto paper, I could throw it away and he’d be gone for good. But for some reason, I can’t bring myself to do it.”

Danny shook his head, trying to stop his grin from becoming too big as he looked over at you.

“I don’t think you’re crazy at all. Just don’t let him see that. He might get a bit too excited.”

“He probably already has,” you muttered. “I think I have some wine leftover. I’ll pour us some.”

While you fixed the drinks, Danny stared at your drawing of him and felt a rush of pleasure course through him. How long had you had this for? Was it before or after you had been taken by Lawrence? And did you always prop it up in your living room, looking at it before you left your apartment?

“Here, take this,” you said. Danny accepted the glass and took a sip while you drank yours in one gulp.

“You should slow down,” chuckled Jed. “It’s barely past noon.”

“It’s my day off, I can do whatever I want,” you sniffed. “I’ve put off the whole week not drinking, I deserve a treat.”

“Is this how you’ve been dealing with the stress? Drinking all day? Look, I’m not one to judge but maybe-”

Danny was interrupted as you quickly wrapped your arms around him. His cheeks heated slightly as he felt you purposely press your chest against his while your hand snaked its way through his hair.

“I was wondering,” you whispered. “Why do you dye your hair?”

“I-what?”

“I remember the first time I saw you, I thought it was just your natural roots,” you continued. “But today I could smell the dye when you put your arm around me at the market. What color are you trying to hide?”

Danny froze as he tried to think of something, anything to say. He mentally cursed himself for not dying his hair any sooner for this very reason. As Jed, he didn’t attract that much attention for people to ask about his hair but with everything going on, he realized he was starting to get sloppy.

“Let’s sit down,” said Jed as he guided you toward the couch. He took a seat and gently pulled you toward him as he wrapped his arms around you and brushed your hair back.

“Work has been, well, stressful to say the least,” he said. “The Ghostface murders keep piling up and with the cops having no clue on how to catch him, it’s hard to write the same grave news all the time. It’s embarrassing but I’m starting to get gray hairs because of it.”

“You should relax more,” you sighed. “I could help.”

Danny gave you a questioning look as you tilted your head and placed a soft kiss against his lips. He was stunned at your actions and didn’t know how to react as your hand fiddled with the bottom hem of his shirt.

“Um, I should really get back to work,” stuttered Jed. “My boss is going to kill me if I don’t finish the article by the end of the day.”

“Oh, okay,” you said sadly. Danny almost felt bad for rejecting you but another emotion started to take over. Did you really prefer ‘Jed’ over him? Jed wasn’t the one who you decided to draw and keep around your living room.

“Sorry, I really want to stay and I’m not mad at all about...what just happened,” said Jed gently. “Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

Danny forced himself off the couch but right before he left, he turned to give you a small peck on the lips, to which you gave a half-smile.

“I really don’t want to leave but maybe we can continue in a more romantic setting? You deserve better than your living room with him watching,” said Jed as he pointed toward the painting.

You laughed and gave Danny a tight hug, saying your goodbye as your lips brushed against his neck that left pleasant shivers in its wake. As you closed your apartment door after him, instead of going back to his place, he headed back downstairs toward his car. The high he got off on spending time with you was already waning thin and what better way to make it last by going on a good old stalking spree?


	16. Chapter 16

“Uh, ma’am? There’s someone out front who wants to talk to you.”

You took a moment before looking up from your accounting book and saw Roger with his stained apron and his eyebrows furrowed together. It had only been about an hour of him running things by himself and you could already tell that the stress was getting to him.

“Thanks, Roger. I’ll be out in a minute,” you sighed. Roger gave a quick salute as he went back out while you massaged your forehead, trying to fight off the oncoming migraine.

It had been a few days since your kiss with Jed and for a minute, you thought you had entirely ruined the friendship. He didn’t speak to you for a while and just when you had given up hope, he stopped by your place one evening.

“Sorry, it’s just that work has gotten crazy,” he explained. “Two of our journalists are down with the flu and another just had a baby. Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about our date though.”

He had given you a light kiss on the forehead and waved goodbye while you stood in shock. Admittedly, you were a little tipsy when you kissed him first but you didn’t think you were going to get a date out of it. At the moment, you were just looking for a hook-up due to all the stress and fear Ghostface had caused, but now, it seemed that a slow build to your and Jed’s relationship was what you really needed.

Thinking about the feeling of his lips on yours, you put your apron back on and walked out to the front. Roger was putting on another pot of coffee and talking to a girl with familiar red hair.

“...yeah, she puts a lot of responsibility on me. I’m practically the manager of this place,” bragged Roger. “I’ve even come up with a few recipes that might be showcased later this week.”

“Wow, that’s very...cool,” nodded the girl, to which you recognized as the one from the farmer’s market. As you stood next to Roger, she gave you a bright smile. “Oh, hi! You might not recognize me but I’m Mallory. I sold you the dried fruit this past weekend.”

“Of course! How are you? Business going okay on your end?” you asked.

“Eh, some weekends it’s slow, others it’s busy,” said Mallory.

“It’s so cool that you run your own stand,” you continued. “And everything you gave me tasted so good! I’ll definitely be coming back next week.”

“T-Thank you!” said Mallory as a slight blush came across her face. “When you said that you had your own coffee shop, I knew I had to stop by. Even when I walked in, everything just smelled so good!”

“I try my best,” you laughed. “I actually used some of your cranberries in a biscotti I made this morning, would you like to try it?”

“Oh my gosh, can I? I bet it tastes delicious!” said Mallory. You smiled at her enthusiasm as you grabbed the biscotti from the display counter and cut a thick slice. Placing it on a napkin, you set it in front of her but denied the money she held out.

“This one’s on the house,” you said. Mallory’s eyes lit up as she took a bite and squealed as a few crumbs dropped onto her purple sweater.

“This is amazing! Thank you so much! But really, I want to help out; let me pay for my coffee at least!”

“One to-go hot latte with a shot of espresso,” said Roger. You hid your smile with your hand as Roger presented the coffee on one of the nicer flower-printed plates with a pleated napkin and a heart design on top of the coffee.

“Wow, that looks really nice,” said Mallory. “This place is so great, I have a feeling I’m going to come here a lot! I actually have class soon but I just wanted to come and say hi.”

“I really appreciate it,” you said. “And you're always welcome, we change our desserts every week.”

“Awesome! Have a great day, the both of you!” called Mallory as she waved goodbye and left the shop.

“Well, she was nice,” you commented, taking a peak at Roger. “I think that was the first time I’ve seen you do a perfect heart design.”

“Yeah, well, practice makes perfect,” shrugged Roger. “It does take some natural talent though.”

You rolled your eyes as Roger stretched his hands forward and cracked his knuckles. Two girls then walked in as Roger straightened himself up and gave them an award-winning smile.

“Ladies, welcome to The Honey Pot! How may I assist you today?”

The girls giggled as they gave him their order and you couldn’t help but chuckle. Roger wasn’t the fastest worker, but he definitely could charm anyone that walked in. Now that you thought about it, it’s probably the reason why customers didn’t get too upset with him when he made a mistake.

For the rest of the day, you prepped bread and cookie dough for the week while keeping an eye on Roger. So far, he had only spilled the coffee twice and mixed up someone’s order once. Any normal owner would have fired him long ago but it still felt better to have someone around than no one at all.

“Alright Roger, you can leave after you dump the mop water,” you said. “I just have to finish icing these cupcakes for that bridal shower tomorrow.”

“Are you sure, ma’am? Because I have no problem in staying and helping you,” said Roger. 

“It’s fine Roger, really,” you assured him. “Even if I wanted you to stay, that would mean I’d have to pay you overtime and I can’t really afford that right now.”

“Then don’t pay me! I’ll just hang out here and wait,” insisted Roger. 

“Roger, you have a final exam tomorrow,” you said gently. “I’ve seen you studying on your breaks and I don’t want to be responsible for you not getting a good score. Go home and rest, you deserve it.”

“I...alright, but if you see anything suspicious, call the cops, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I will. See you the day after tomorrow, okay?”

Roger gave a worried glance as he left the shop through the front door. You locked it behind him and shut the blinds you had just installed the day before. Roger had every right to be worried but based on what Ghostface told you, he wasn’t looking to kill you, yet.

You walked toward the back room and picked up a pastry bag filled with ivory white frosting. The customer requested rosettes on each cupcake with edible gold pearls in the center. It was a simple design but with over fifty to decorate, it was going to take some time.

Just as you finished piping the last cupcake and placed them in a tray, you heard knocking at the front door of your shop. Figuring Roger forgot his jacket again, you walked to the front and opened the door to find no one there.

Your body tensed as your ears pricked at the sound of the back door opening very slowly. You stayed glued to the spot and your heartbeat started to quicken as you closed the front door. Shuffling and slight banging noises erupted from the back room and you knew he was trying his hardest to get your attention. 

You forced yourself to walk to the back room and saw the Ghostface with his back to you. The knife set was still tucked away under the sink but you knew he had his personal one strapped somewhere on his body. You cleared your throat to get his attention, to which he paused and turned his head slightly. 

“Are you going to kill me today?” you asked, trying to keep the shakiness out of your voice. It would be the perfect crime in Ghostface’s eyes; a young business owner, murdered in her own shop, doing what she loved only to have her life ended shortly after.

“Mmm, I dunno,” said Ghostface. “Depends on how good these taste.”

Even with his back turned you could see him fiddling with his mask and you realized he was lifting it to eat something. He moved his hand away and dumped a cupcake wrapper onto the ground. Judging from the gold and silver lining, you realized he was eating the ones you just finished decorating.

“No! Don’t eat those!” you cried. You hurried over to the counter and pushed Ghostface out of the way. Two were already eaten and you glared up at Ghostface to see him with his hand under his mask, sucking off the icing from his gloves.

“Relax, Sweets. I only had a couple and you always make at least five extra just in case.”

“That’s not the point,” you growled. “I didn’t spend all day working on those just so you could come in and help yourself! Get out!”

Ghostface sighed as he readjusted his mask and gripped your neck, pushing you back until you hit the counter. You gasped as you tried to pry his hand off but the more you tried, the tighter his hold became.

“Maybe I should kill you, yeah? Not saying those cupcakes were bad but vanilla is so _boring_.”

You began to see stars as he began to choke you even harder as he leaned in closer to you, his mask almost touching your face.

“I saw the little portrait you drew of me,” he whispered. “Didn’t know I had a fan. You’ve had it up for a while, haven’t you?”

“F-Fuck...you!” you gasped.

“But you took it down the other day...why did you do that?”

Black spots clouded your vision and just when you felt yourself start to lose consciousness, Ghostface released you as you fell to the floor.

You coughed and choked so hard you almost felt like you were going to throw up as you struggled to breathe normally. Ghostface knelt down next to you with his knife out and used it to lift your chin to face him.

“I’d like an answer, Sweets.”

“I don’t need you anymore,” you seethed. “And stop calling me that!”

“Oh, but you didn’t have a problem with it before,” said Ghostface. “Tell me why you took it down. I won’t ask again.”

His knife traveled up to the side of your cheek as he gave it a small nick. You winced as you felt a small drop of blood travel downward.

“There are other people in my life I care about,” you spat.

“Ha! Like who?” snickered Ghostface. “Your little helper Roger is an absolute idiot and you think making friends with that girl at the farmer’s market means anything? You literally have no one-”

Ghostface stopped talking mid sentence as he stood up and grabbed you by your hair. You cried out as he lifted you from the ground and bent you over the counter as he twisted your arm painfully behind your back.

“Don’t tell me,” he chuckled darkly. “You have a crush on your neighbor? That fucking nerd? C’mon Sweets, you can do better than that. You know in the long run you’ll tire of his boring and dry personality.”

“Sounds to me like you’re jealous,” you grunted. “It’s funny; you’re supposed to Roseville’s boogeyman and yet here you are acting like some lovesick puppy.”

“You’re talking a lot today,” said Ghostface. “Where did all this bravery come from?”

You screamed as you felt him slice the back of your thigh as he pressed himself into your backside. No matter how hard you tried to buck him off or squirm out of his grasp, he would just twist your arm tighter until it felt like it was going to fall off.

“As much as I would like to play with you, your scream probably alerted the tenants next door,” said Ghostface. “Let’s have fun another time. Also, bring some treats.”

You waited for him to release you but all you heard was the sound of fabric moving. Something wet and slimy brushed against your neck, followed by a set of teeth clamping onto your skin. You screamed again but this time, a slight moan had escaped after. Your face heated up in shame and you refused to look at him even after he let you go.

Remembering that he needed to take his mask off in order to mark you, you flipped around but only saw the end of his leather jacket leave through the back door. You hissed as you tried to stand on your leg and as you grabbed a towel to stop the bleeding, you noticed three more cupcakes had gone missing from the tray.


	17. Chapter 17

“This is nice,” you said. “Didn’t know they had lights at night.”

“You should see it around Christmas time,” said Jed. “They put up a lot more in the downtown area.”

Jed had just finished taking you out to a restaurant out by the lake and was quite proud of how he outdid himself. The sun had just set, reflecting shimmering lights off the water and music had played in the background performed by a small, live orchestra. Danny could tell that you were smitten by Jed’s performance; from the flirty small talk and how he already knew which dessert you wanted, it was almost too easy. Ending the night with a slow walk in the park surrounded by fairy lights was the perfect way to end the night.

“Tonight’s been really fun,” you said. “We should do this again sometime.”

Danny stiffened when he felt your hand brush against his. It was innocent enough but Jed knew better as he grabbed yours and held it softly. From the corner of his eye, he could see you press your lips together to keep yourself from smiling too big.

“There is one place I would like to show you-” said Jed but was interrupted by a strange voice.

“Don’t move and give me your fucking money, now!” 

Danny stood still as he felt the barrel of a gun against the back of his head. You let go of his hand as you turned around to face the stranger but was instantly kicked to the ground. Danny felt the presence of the gun leave his neck as he saw the attacker aim his gun towards you.

“I told you not to move, you stupid bitch!”

Seeing an opening, Danny spun around and grabbed the attacker’s hand that held the gun and raised it into the air while giving him a punch to the gut. The gun went off, deafening Danny as he twisted the man’s wrist, and punched him in the face with his other hand. Blood gushed from the man’s nose as he finally dropped the gun to the ground and lunged at Danny, forcing him to fall on his back.

Danny saw the man grab his gun and point it right at Danny’s face. Instead of fearing for his life, Danny felt immense anger at the thought of being killed by some low-life thug. 

“Get off him!”

Danny blinked in surprise as he saw you jump onto the man’s back and taze him in the face. The man’s body went completely still as he fell to the ground with you on top of him. Danny slipped out a laugh as he watched you tazed him again, but this time on his neck as you screamed obscenities into the air.

“How does that feel, you fucking psycho!? I hope you rot in hell, you piece of shit! Don’t ever, ever, come for me again or I’LL KILL YOU!”

Danny covered his mouth to muffle his laughter as he watched you get up and kick the man all over his body. More of his blood spilled onto the dirt path and just as he watched you taze him in the back again, Danny saw a familiar black and white car start to pull up in the parking lot from across the park.

“Shit,” he muttered. “The last thing I need right now.”

Danny got up from the ground and pulled you off the man while you kept yelling as he dragged you out of the park.

“If I ever see you again, you’re dead! You hear me? You’re fucking dead!”

“Sweets, stop! The cops are right over there! We need to leave, now!”

“Good! We can tell them what he tried to do to us!” you said.

“Listen! Self-defense is one thing, but you just beat the hell out of that guy! Cops will throw him in jail with you right next to him. We’re leaving now!”

You opened your mouth to protest but Danny roughly grabbed your arm and took you back to his car. He was relieved to see you get in with no problem as he quickly started the engine and peeled out of the parking lot.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” asked Jed.

“I’m fine!” you said angrily. “Actually, I’d be better if you let me finish him off!”

“What?”

“I am so sick and tired of people thinking they can fuck with me!” you screeched. “First it’s that asshole Ghostface, then that creep Lawrence who deserved way more than he got! And now this son of a bitch thinks he can just rob us out of nowhere!? I am so pissed!”

Danny jumped a little as you slammed the dashboard with your hands and immediately retracted them into your lap.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to take it out onto your car,” you muttered. “I just don’t understand why these things keep happening to me.”

“It’s fine,” reassured Jed. “But it’s over now. We can go home and relax, you and me.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

It wasn’t long before Danny pulled up the street to the apartments before letting out a deep sigh and made a u-turn to park across the street. Danny rubbed his eyes and glanced at you, seeing the tears stream down your face.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry,” soothed Jed. “Here let’s go upstairs and have some herbal tea, yeah?”

You nodded as the two of you got out of the car and went inside the apartment. Nick was nowhere to be seen until Jed heard the sounds of what sounded like a trumpet coming from the lobby bathroom. Jed winced in disgust as he led you upstairs and stopped at your door.

“Here we are! I heard chamomile tea is best for soothing the nerves.”

“Sure.”

As the two of you walked into the apartment, Danny was a little annoyed that you had yet to put up the painting of Ghostface. His eyes scanned both the living room and kitchen but it was nowhere to be found.

“Hey, so you know when we were at the park and I was...you know, beating that guy up?” you said.

Jed nodded as you started heating up a kettle of water on the stove and pulled out a tea box from the cupboard.

“You called me something, a name. Did you say Sweets or-?” you asked but was interrupted as Danny grabbed the back of your head and smashed his lips against yours.

“I’ve been wanting to do this all night,” whispered Danny. He didn’t give you a chance to speak as he purposely guided you toward the counter and lifted you on top of it. You let out a pained moan as Danny realized he had grabbed onto the leg he had cut not so long ago.

“Sorry, did I hurt you?” asked Jed.

“N-No it’s fine. I was just, startled is all,” you said breathlessly. 

“Good,” said Danny. He grabbed your injured leg and hiked it up around his waist, squeezing the underside to add more pressure to your wound.

“Ow! Jed-”

“You were so brave tonight,” whispered Jed. “You save my life, you know that? I would be dead right now, lying in the dirt if it weren’t for you.”

He caressed your hair back and began kissing you multiple times on the lips while Danny took a peek below and sneered at the blood soaking through your tights. 

“You are truly, one of the most amazing people I have ever met,” said Jed. “I’m glad that out of all people, you’re the one who moved in next to me.”

Danny put one hand on your hip as he pulled you in closer while grabbing the back of your neck and placing light kisses on the side of it. He was delighted to see his mark was still there and that you had vainly tried to cover it with makeup. 

“What’s this?” he asked softly. Danny studied your face as he hid a smirk while you tried to come up with an explanation.

“I, uh, burned myself. At work,” you added lamely.

“Hmm, I think you’re lying,” hummed Danny.

“No, I swear-ah!”

Danny placed his lips over his own mark and bit down gently, making it slightly darker than before. He grunted as you wrapped your other leg around his waist and he could feel your heat against his crotch. Just as his hand traveled up your leg and under your skirt, a knock erupted from the front door.

“Hey! Your window locks finally came in and I need to install them tonight!” shouted Nick as he continued knocking. “I know you’re in there!”

“Motherfucker,” Danny hissed as he pulled away. 

“Nick, I’m busy right now. What about tomorrow?” you yelled back.

“I’ve got a trip to the casino and I don’t want to hit traffic. If I can’t do it tonight, you’re going to have to wait another week.”

You grumbled as you rested your head against Danny’s chest while he shot a death glare at the door.

“I’m sorry but with everything going on, I don’t want to risk having faulty locks anymore,” you said.

“No worries,” said Jed with a half-smile. “We can always continue later.”

With that said, Jed gave you a quick peck on the lips and set you back down onto the floor. You brushed your hair back and flattened out your dress before going over to the door and opening it.

“Well it’s about time-Olsen? What are you doing here?”

“Just borrowing some tea,” smiled Jed as he picked up one of the boxes. “Good luck on Black Jack tomorrow.”

“Don’t need luck, you just gotta count the cards is all.”

“Isn’t that illegal?” asked Jed.

“Don’t you have an article to write?” said Nick. “Jesus Christ, feels like I’m being interrogated by the cops.”

“I’ll see you later, Jed,” you spoke up. “Tonight was fun.”

“Yeah,” smiled Danny. “It was.”

He gave you a small wave and as he exited your apartment, he tried to keep his body from shaking too much in anger. Of course Nick would show up unannounced when things were starting to get interesting.

Danny unlocked the door to his apartment and slammed it behind him as he headed into his bedroom. It was pretty minimal compared to the living room that held all of his accomplishments but there were a few mementos from his first kills in Roseville that he kept on top of his dresser; a map of the city where the marked x’s represented his victims, a half-filled bottle of musky cologne he wore as the Ghostface and journal filled with different tactics on how to stalk his victims.

Danny snatched the journal and took a seat on his bed as he flipped through its contents while quickly unbuttoning his pants. Settling on a page he wrote about door locks, he spat into his hand and slowly began to pump as he recalled the time he snuck into a house where one of his first victims was completely unaware of her fateful death.

It was Sherri Maloney’s first time babysitting for the Newtons and the night had gone by without any problems. The kids finished their homework, ate their dinner and went to bed on time with no complaint. She was now sitting on the couch, flipping through the television channels while eating some popcorn.

Ghostface had spent some time trying to jimmy the lock on the back door that led to the laundry room and finally opened it quietly. Danny lightly squeezed his balls as he remembered creeping through the kitchen and grabbing his knife from its sheath attached to his ankle. With one swift cut across her neck, Sherri went limp without a sound and Ghostface was a little disappointed that it ended so quickly.

Danny’s mind wandered back to earlier in the evening as he began to pump faster, precum leaking down the side of his shaft, recalling how you beat the robber within an inch of his life. His pleas for you to stop were drowned out by your rage as you kicked and punched him over and over. Danny pictured your face covered in the man’s blood as you laughed at his pain while his legs began to twitch erratically.

Danny lay back onto the bed and let out a long, guttural moan with your crazed face in mind as he came across his stomach. When he finally came down from his high, he let out a deep chuckle, pleased that out of all the times for you to show your true colors, it was with _him._


	18. Chapter 18

The evening sun shone its last light onto a yellow flyer with bold, black letters reading Roseville County Fair and a picture of a red and blue ferris wheel. It was tacked onto a cork board with other local events and was brought in by Roger a few days ago.

“So, are you thinking about signing up? Tomorrow’s the last day, you know.”

You blinked as you looked over at Roger who was wiping down the counters and motioned his head over to the flyer.

“I’m not sure,” you sighed. “Signing up would mean having to close the shop for a day.”

“No offense, but no one’s going to be here if the county fair is in town,” said Roger. “Maybe a few regulars in the morning but it’s going to be totally dead after nine.”

“I guess I could,” you mumbled. “Don’t really have much to lose.”

“That’s good, ‘cuz I kinda already signed you up…”

“What? Roger, why would you do that!?” you exclaimed. “I’m not even prepared, I can’t even think of what I’m going to make-”

“Do your cherry pie,” said Roger gently. “C’mon, it’s the best in town and you know it. Might as well show off your skills and earn some money out of it.”

“How much is it?”

“A hundred dollars,” shrugged Roger. “But it’s not about the money. Imagine the advertisement you’d get for The Honey Pot. Besides, you also get a fancy plaque. Picture that being hung up on the wall, it would mean you’re practically certified as the best baker in Roseville!”

You pressed your lips together, taking in everything he had pointed out. Sure, it was a little annoying that Roger had gone behind your back but his intentions were good.

“Alright, I’ll try,” you said. Roger gave you a triumphant smile as the two of you continued to clean the shop. Once everything was finished, you walked over to the register and took out the drawer of money from underneath.

“You’re good to go Roger. I can walk the rest of the way home.”

“Are you sure? I really have no problem giving you a ride.”

“I’ll be fine. Besides, now that you’ve signed me up for the contest, I need to start practicing. I’d bake at home but all the ingredients are here anyways.”

“Okay, just be safe,” said Roger.

“I will. See you tomorrow.”

You took the register to the back room and counted it like you did every night. Once the money was put away in your safe, you walked over to the large fridge and grabbed the ingredients to make cherry pie.

You fell into a steady rhythm while you worked and as you placed the pie into the oven, you winced at the sound of your back cracking. Your eyelids began to droop as you set the timer for forty minutes and sat down onto the office chair.

The timer startled you awake as you rubbed your eyes and let out a big yawn. You realized you had fallen asleep and quickly stood up to take the pie out of the oven. As you placed it carefully onto the counter, you felt your stomach cramp as it grumbled loudly. 

Figuring you’d just eat one of the turkey sandwiches you hadn’t sold that day, you walked back out to the front and opened the display door. Grabbing the last one off the shelf, you unwrapped it and took a huge bite. You groaned at the taste and when you took another bite you almost choked on it when you saw a dark figure staring at you from across the street.

Ghostface stood in the opposite alleyway from across the parking lot. You would’ve missed him due to the poor street lighting but his white mask stood out amongst the darkness. Your heart sped up as you dropped the sandwich while he raised his hand and gave you a small wave.

You shakily waved back, hoping that the attempt would make him go away. Your body began to tremble as he crossed the street with his large knife in hand and you prayed for anyone to show up. He finally arrived at the front of your shop and began to gently tap the glass door with his knife.

He wanted to be let in and with each second that passed, his tapping became more furtive. Terrified of what he would do to you if you didn’t obey, you walked to the front and slowly unlocked the door. He pushed it open with one hand and closed it behind him, tilting his head as he studied you.

“Mmm, smells good in here,” he said. “Whatcha making?”

“Cherry pie,” you said shakily. “It’s still cooling...you going to steal that from me too?”

“Maybe,” he chuckled. “Won’t be as easy to carry it like those cupcakes, but I’m sure I could find a way.”

He lifted his knife and pointed toward the back, motioning for you to walk ahead of him. Warning bells rang off in your head that this might be the night he kills you but you figured he would have easily done it when you were asleep. Unless, he wanted to see you awake while he did it.

Remembering your knife set hidden under the sink, you turned your back on him and let out a yelp as you felt the prick of his knife touch the center of your back. Ghostface snickered as he walked you to the back room and gently pushed you closer to the counter.

“Aw, how cute,” he said. “You even put a cherry design on top.”

His knife lazily slid over your neck and you stepped to the side to turn and face him. Even if you wanted to escape, he matched his movements with yours perfectly, blocking both the back door and the way out to the front.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but if you’re planning on killing me, can you just hurry up and get it over with?”

“Wow, never had anyone begging me to kill them. Guess there’s a first time for everything,” said Ghostface. He raised his knife into the air and you instinctively shut your eyes as your ears rang out at the sound of his knife piercing something soft and wet.

You expected to feel immense pain but when you opened your eyes, you saw that he had stabbed the pie next to you.

“What the- why do you do that?!” you shouted. “Is this some kind of game to you? Just play with me until you’re bored!?”

“Something like that,” he said as he retracted his knife, putting it up to your face. “Now lick it.”

“No!”

“Do it or I kill your friend,” he threatened. “Mallory Shaw? I already know where she lives; 2718 Orchid Street. Her school schedule; Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from two to nine. And also the fact that she drinks lemon tea with honey before she goes to bed. It would be a shame for such a promising life to be ended so easily. And to think that you could’ve saved her over a simple request.”

“You’re a monster,” you seethed.

“I’m getting impatient,” he said in a sing-song voice, pushing the knife closer to your mouth.

You swallowed hard as you eyed the knife stained with cherry filling. It looked exactly like blood and reminded you of when he used it to torture Lawrence. The thought of it almost made you gag but you took a deep breath as you leaned forward and stuck out your tongue.

You slowly licked the side of the blade, carefully avoiding the sharp edge so as not to cut yourself. The filling tasted sweet and you tried focusing on that while Ghostface hummed at the slick sounds of your mouth.

“All of it,” he breathed. “I want to see it clean.”

Images of him cutting out your tongue made you almost cry out loud, but you held it together. It was strange that he hadn’t killed you yet but then you remembered that to him, this was him having fun. If you wanted to live, you had to keep him entertained.

You continued licking his knife and the more you did it, the closer his body got to yours. You held onto the edge of the counter and just as the tip of his knife pricked your tongue, you brought up your hand to defend yourself, accidentally brushing it against his crotch.

Even with such little contact, you could tell he was hard. You felt your face flush and stared at the ground, not knowing what to do anymore.

“T-There, I’m done,” you whispered.

“You forgot a bit.”

Ghostface reached around you and stuck his gloved finger into the cherry pie and brought it to your mouth. You glared up at him and just as you separated your lips, the store’s front door rang out.

“Hey, I forgot my apron!” called out Roger. “I know you wanted me to clean it.”

“Interrupted again?” sighed Ghostface. “How annoying.”

Ghostface spun around with his knife raised but you quickly grabbed him from the back of his jacket.

“Wait! I can get rid of him, don’t do anything!” you whispered frantically. 

“But it’ll be so much easier if I kill him,” he pouted.

“This is my business, I’m not having anyone killed here!” you hissed. “Stay there Roger, I’ll get it right now!”

“I mean, I can just grab it-” started Roger.

“No! I, uh, already mopped back here, give me a second!”

You spotted his apron hanging off one of the shelves and pushed Ghostface toward the freezer and opened the door.

“You cannot be serious,” he said.

“Just hide in there for now! If you’re that upset, meet me back at my place. It’s not like you don’t know how to get in anyways.”

Before he could say anything else, you pushed him in and shut the door in his face before grabbing Roger’s apron.

“Here it is,” you said as you walked out and handed it to him. “Try not to forget this time, okay?”

“I know, I know, I won’t,” said Roger. “No offense, but are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

You let out a bitter laugh but stopped as Roger gave you a strange look.

“It’s nothing, um...there was a rat that snuck in and I had to kill it.”

“Gross,” said Roger with a scrunched nose. “Well, see ya tomorrow!”

“Bye! Drive home safe!”

You waited until Roger left the store and drove out onto the street before going to the back. It took you a minute to open the freezer door, slightly afraid of Ghostface’s response to you shoving him in so abruptly.

You let out a sigh of relief to find it empty but then remembered you had invited him back to your place. You groaned for bringing up such a horrible idea but anything was better than having Roger killed.

After cleaning the counters and locking up the store, you walked back home with a brisk pace. The last thing you wanted was to take too long that it might make Ghostface angry and kill Mallory.

As you walked inside your apartment, you dropped your things by the door and headed to the hallway closet. You pulled out the painting of Ghostface and set it back in its original place by the windows facing the street. Hopefully, he saw it as more of an attempt at flattery than ass-kissing.

A noise from your bedroom made you still and as you went to inspect it, you let out a sigh of relief when you realized it was just the wind rattling the old wooden frames.

Catching your reflection in the mirror, you winced at your messed up hair and sweaty face. Not giving it a second thought, you stepped into your bathroom and took a quick shower.

You changed into your favorite oversized t-shirt and shorts and went to the kitchen. Taking out two wine glasses, you grabbed a bottle of red from the fridge and poured yourself a glass as you set the other one on a table. You took a huge gulp and grabbed the bottle as you sat on your couch and refilled your drink.

“He should be here by now,” you muttered. “He even got a head start.”

As you took another sip of wine, three loud knocks at your door made you jump, spilling some of your drink onto your shirt. He wouldn’t show up at your front door, would he? Even compared to what he did earlier, you did not want anyone seeing him walk into your apartment.

You took a deep breath and got up from the couch, letting out a surprised gasp as you opened the door.

“Jed!”


	19. Chapter 19

Danny stared down at you as he tried to hide the smirk from growing on his face. His eyes lingered at the bottom of your oversized t-shirt, revealing your thighs which you now had pressed together at the sight of his arrival.

“Hey, are you busy?” he asked. “Want to hang out for a bit?”

He watched your eyes widen as you quickly looked behind toward the bedroom. Danny picked up on your fear as Jed placed a hand onto your shoulder, making you jump at his touch.

“Sorry, I thought that after the last time, you wanted…” said Jed sheepishly.

“No, I do! I mean, it’s just that...now is not a good time,” you said.

Danny looked past you and held back a laugh at the sight of two wine glasses laid out onto the coffee table. The picture that you had drawn of Ghostface stood off to the side and he felt immense pleasure that you had brought it out just for him. Danny also noticed that your hair was slightly damp and that you smelled of flowery body wash that you only used on special occasions.

“Oh, I see,” said Jed softly. “You’re expecting company.”

The hurt in your eyes stirred something inside of Danny but he ignored it as Jed scratched the side of his nose and looked at the floor.

“I thought we had something,” he said in a low voice.

“We do, Jed, it’s just...complicated,” you said. “Trust me, if I had a choice in the matter, I would choose you in a heartbeat!”

Danny’s eyes twitched in annoyance as he glared down at you.

“You always have a choice,” he said. “It makes me angry that you’re choosing the wrong one.”

Before you could say anything, Danny stomped back to his apartment and slammed the door behind him. He wanted nothing more than to become the Ghostface and sneak into your apartment but the fact that you still had feelings for Jed enraged him.

“What the hell does she see in him anyways?” he seethed. He spotted his duffle bag tucked away in the corner of the kitchen and rifled through it. “I knew I shouldn’t have done anything with her; stupid, fucking, Jed ruins everything!”

He finally found his knife at the bottom of the bag and grabbed it by the handle. Danny always appreciated the shine to it, how he could see his reflection in it perfectly. However, he was too irritated to enjoy it as he flung it across the room.

It stabbed into the wall that held all of his accomplishments over the past months in Roseville. The knife landed perfectly onto a picture that he had taken of you recently. It was a shot of you at The Honey Pot, talking and laughing with Mallory and Roger. Danny’s eyes went back and forth between your two friends as he pulled his knife out of the wall and tapped your face with the end of it.

“You think you’re safe with all your little friends. But I’ll make sure that the only one you have left is me.”

Danny set his knife down onto the kitchen counter and went straight to bed. Sleep did not come easily for him and just as he felt himself finally drift away, his alarm clock on his nightstand went off.

He slammed his hand down onto it, breaking off the bells on top. Danny growled as he forced himself off his bed and got ready for another day at the Roseville Gazette.

Normally, he would head over to The Honey Pot for his usual coffee and danish but he was in no mood to see you at the moment. Just the thought of running into you and your friends worsened his already grumpy mood.

The ride to work was quick and as he walked into the building, he could already feel a headache coming on due to caffeine withdrawal. He walked past the office break room and scrunched his nose at the smell of its stale and cheap coffee. Danny forgot how good yours smelled and regretted not stopping by like usual.

Danny plopped down onto his office chair and booted up his computer, flinching at the brightness of the screen. He pulled up his files on his current articles when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

“Hey Jed, you ready to go?” asked Rene.

“Um, go where?” 

“To the fair? Don’t you remember, we have to cover the whole thing from beginning to end.”

“Fucking shit, I completely forgot,” sighed Jed. 

“Damn, rough night?” asked Rene.

“Not really, just couldn’t sleep well,” said Jed. “Why?”

“Nothing, it just feels weird hearing you curse,” chuckled Rene. “C’mon, I’ll drive.”

Jed gave her a weak smile as Danny tried not to smack himself in the face. Jed never swore so profusely and the little slips Danny was making were starting to pile up.

As Rene drove the both of them to the county fair grounds, Danny tried to focus on what she was saying but he just couldn’t bring himself to care. Danny was getting tired of living Jed’s life and his desperation to show his true colors was becoming more apparent each day.

Rene pulled up into the large dirt parking lot where the fair was held, just outside of a large national forest. The first thing that Danny smelled when he exited the car was farm animal feces and he tried to hide his disgust.

“Looks and smells the same as it does every year,” sighed Rene. “Maybe we can get some free kettle corn out of this trip.”

“So how do you want to tackle this?” asked Jed.

“Just the usual,” said Rene. “I’ll go speak to the director, you take pictures. Take whatever you can but the boss wants the ferris wheel and a few of the animals.”

“Got it. See you in an hour?”

Rene nodded as Jed pulled out his camera from his bag and began taking pictures of the fair grounds. He started at the front entrance and made his way past the ticket counter, flashing his press ID to the man behind it.

After he was waved in, Danny headed straight to the ferris wheel, hoping the natural morning light would be enough for a good picture.

Most of the tents for the contests and games were already set up, giving Danny a perfect framing for the front page. Taking a few shots, he scowled as he followed the stench of manure, hoping there would be more than a few cows and pigs.

Spotting a few black and white baby lambs, he took pictures of them with their mother. He knew it would be a charming picture and took some shots of the piglets in the stall next to them.

“Aren’t they just the sweetest? I think I like the foal the most though, he’s still learning how to walk.”

Danny looked up from his camera to see your friend Mallory smiling down at him. She was wearing stonewashed jeans, a bright orange t-shirt with the fair’s logo on the back and white sneakers with pink shoe laces.

“There’s a foal here?” asked Jed. “I would love to see it. People go crazy over cute farm animals.”

“I’ll show you, he’s over here,” said Mallory. “You’re Jed, right?”

Danny blinked at her recognition of him but remembered they first met at the farmer market a few weeks prior.

“Yes, I am,” he smiled. “And you must be Mallory. I’ve seen you at The Honey Pot a few times.”

“Yeah, I’m friends with the owner,” said Mallory. “Isn’t she the best?”

“She most certainly is,” said Jed. He followed her over to where the foal was and took a few shots as it looked up at him with its big, brown eyes. “Thanks for this, I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” nodded Mallory. “Let me know if you need anything else, I’m volunteering for the whole month.”

“You are?” asked Danny. “You run the petting zoo?”

“No, I just really love spending time here,” laughed Mallory. “I’m actually in charge of taking tickets at one of the fun houses.”

“Interesting. Do you think you could give me a quick tour? I actually need to take a few more shots of the fair and having one of the fun houses would be a great addition.”

“Sure! Come with me,” said Mallory. Jed smiled as he followed her toward the back of the fair where a large fun house stood just outside of the surrounding forest. It was one of the bigger fun houses with an entrance connected to a spinning tunnel.

“This looks really fun,” said Danny. “Mind if I take a look inside?”

“Oh, well, I don’t know…” said Mallory. “I’m not technically allowed to let anyone in.”

“C’mon, I won’t tell if you won’t,” winked Jed. “How about after a walk-through, I take a picture of you and put you on our front page? People love seei lng the locals volunteering for events like these.”

“I don’t look exactly my best,” said Mallory nervously. “I’m all sweaty and my hair isn’t brushed-”

“Don’t worry, you look perfect,” assured Jed. “It’ll be our little secret.”

“Well, okay,” agreed Mallory. “This way-and watch your step. Once I turn this thing on, it gets pretty dark inside.”

Jed watched as Mallory walked over to the control box and pressed a few buttons. The fun house came to life as it played a carnival-theme tune while the light bulbs outside flashed on and off.

“After you,” said Jed as he held out his hand. Mallory smiled shyly as she took it and stepped onto the platform, carefully traversing through the spinning tunnel. Danny followed right behind her as she stepped off the entrance and showed him through one of the rooms.

Plastic noodles hung from the ceiling as Mallory made her way through them with Danny close behind. After they got through them, another room opened up with neon-painted walls and floors with propped up clown dummies placed in hidden closets.

“This part is pretty creepy,” said Mallory. 

“Afraid of clowns?” grinned Danny.

“Kind of. It’s more of a fear that they might come to life and kill me,” laughed Mallory.

“How terrifying,” chuckled Danny. “What a horrible way to go.”

“Right!? It’s the stuff of nightmares. Here, this is the last room and it’s kinda my favorite,” said Mallory.

She led Danny out of the neon room and into a hall of multiple mirrors. Both of their reflections surrounded them and Danny noticed that Mallory was cautious in walking through the maze.

“Sorry, still trying to get used to the path,” said Mallory. “I’ve walked through this plenty of times and I still can’t figure out-oh crap!”

Mallory stopped abruptly, almost running into a mirror as Jed bumped into the back of her. 

“Oops, I’m sorry,” said Jed as he put his hands on her shoulders to steady himself. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Mallory. Even in the dim light, Jed could see her face turn red at his touch and he slowly put his hands back in his pockets.

“I think the exit might have been that way,” said Jed. As he moved through the tight hallways, he memorized every turn and dead end that they came across. The green exit sign finally pointed them to the right as they both walked out into the daylight.

“That was fun,” said Jed. “Here, stand in front of the tunnel. I think I’ll get a good shot if I get the whole house with you in front of it.”

Mallory hesitated but smiled stiffly as she posed and put her hand on her hip.

“Not so forced,” said Danny. “I need you to be natural.”

She nodded and took in a deep breath as she relaxed her body and gave him a wide smile. Danny zoomed in the camera on her face, taking multiple shots and ignoring the background completely.

“Perfect,” he whispered.


	20. Chapter 20

A loud ringing stirred you from your sleep as you pulled the covers over your head. When the call went to your voicemail, your ears pricked at the sound of Roger’s frantic voice calling your name.

“Um, ma’am, I don’t know if you're home but I’m at the shop right now and you’re not here. It’s only eleven o’clock but we have to be at the fair at twelve if you want to be on time for the contest…”

Your eyes flew open at his words as you looked at your alarm clock and threw the blankets off your body.

“Fuck! I overslept!”

With no time to take a shower, you grabbed the cleanest looking clothes you could find off the ground and quickly changed into them. You didn’t even bother looking in the mirror to check your reflection and shot out the door with purse in hand.

You showed up at the shop with ragged breath, having sprinted all the way from your apartment. Roger leaned against the wall at the front and gave you an anxious look.

“You told me to meet you here an hour ago but when you didn’t show up, I got worried,” said Roger.

“I know, I overslept...I’m such an idiot!” you grumbled as you struggled to find your keys in your purse. “I was supposed to get up early and bake another pie, the other ones I have just aren’t good enough!”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” said Roger gently. “Everything you make always tastes great.”

“Why did I even sign up for this? Just to embarrass myself and my shop?” you muttered. You finally found your key and stabbed it into the lock, flinging the door open as you ran toward the back.

The four pies you had made the night before were all lined up on the counter and you hoped they didn’t look as bad up close as they did when you left them.

“These are all garbage!” you groaned. “The flowers are all off on this one and the one I made yesterday was perfect but I burned it like an idiot. Why is this so hard? This is supposed to be my thing, the only thing that I’m good at!”

All the anger, fear and frustration that you had been penting up the past couple days finally came crashing down as you grabbed a pie from the counter and threw it against the wall.

“Woah, are you okay?” asked Roger as he walked. “Listen, we don’t have to do this thing if you don’t want to. There’s no need to prove how good you are when you have your own business.”

“No, I want to do this, I have to do this. I just haven’t slept the past couple nights and I keep having these dreams about-”

You stopped yourself short as you rubbed your eyes and started to clean up the pie you just threw. Roger stood over you for a second before grabbing a paper towel and cleaning up the rest of the pie filling on the floor.

“I’m sorry, it’s just stress,” you said quietly, clearing your throat. “I’ll just take whatever at this point. Which do you think looks best?”

“Um, this one,” said Roger as he pointed to the one in the middle. “Sure it’s a little dark on the edges but the design is pretty.”

“We’ll go with that.”

You quickly wrapped the pie in saran rap and placed it in a small cake box. As you followed Roger outside and into his car, you couldn’t help but stare down through the box with the see-through cover, counting all the mistakes and imperfections.

“It’s honestly not bad-looking,” reassured Roger. “Besides, it’s not just all about looks. The biggest factor is how it tastes and you never fail at that.”

You nodded in agreement as you tore your eyes away from the pie and stared straight ahead. Roger looked over at you as he started the car and pulled out onto the main street.

“So, um, what kind of dreams have you been having?” asked Roger. “I keep having this one where my teeth fall out and it’s pretty terrifying.”

“I’ve had that one before,” you said. “But no, these are more...disturbing.”

Roger nodded and you were grateful that he didn’t question you any further. Even if he did, there was no way you were going to actually tell the truth about the fact that you were having dreams about the local serial killer.

It always starts out the same; you in the kitchen, stirring something thick and red when Ghostface comes up from behind you and starts kissing your neck. His touch is gentle at first but quickly turns the opposite as he would grab you by the hair and force you onto the counter. He would quickly get rid of your underwear and slide himself inside you, frantically whispering in your ear how badly he wanted to kill you with each thrust. Just as you felt yourself start cum, he would flip you over and stab you in the chest, his laughter muffled by the white, screaming mask.

You would awake with a start, sometimes screaming aloud as you would frantically look around your empty room. This routine had been going on ever since Ghostface failed to show up at your apartment and you didn’t know how to react to the mixed feelings you had toward him.

“We’re here.”

You snapped out of your thoughts and saw the fairground slowly coming into view. Joyful screams of people riding the roller coaster with cheerful music in the background could be heard through the car windows as you eyed the line of people waiting to get inside.

Roger easily found a parking spot and you were careful to hold your pie as you got out. After paying for your tickets, Roger asked one of the volunteers where the pie contest would be taking place.

“Just go past all the rides and games and it should be in one of white tents,” he said. “There’ll be a large sign, you can’t miss it.”

You maneuvered your way through the crowd with Roger following close behind. The two of you finally stopped at the tent the volunteer told you about with a sign to the side that read ‘Baked Goods Contest’. Past that, you could see people inside lining up their desserts on long white tables. Fudge brownies, fondant show cakes and an array of cookies each had their own section with their makers behind them.

“Good luck! And remember, you got this!” said Roger with a thumbs up. You couldn’t help but chuckle back as you faced one of the volunteers with a clipboard in hand.

As you gave him your name, he pointed toward the back of the tent and told you to put your pie behind your name tag. You made your way toward the back and felt your heart drop as you noticed your spot right in the middle of the long table. Being stuck inside the center of all the other contenders wasn’t the greatest as judges tended to only remember the first and last entries of a contest.

Your shoulders sagged as you took the pie out of the box and set it on the table. Two elderly women stood next to you and chatted about the fair, gesturing toward another woman with bleached blonde hair.

“...And just when you think you have it in the bag, Cheryl Turner shows up,” said one of the women. She had short, gray curly hair and wore a light pink cardigan while the other wore thick glasses and a flower-printed dress. 

“I’m telling you Bernie, she puts something in it,” said the woman with the glasses. “That or she bribes the judges.”

“Raymond Adley’s on the panel this year,” said Bernie. “I saw her visit his house a few times this week. She was there for awhile.”

You shook your head as the ladies continued to gossip while you looked at the woman they were talking about. She looked to be in her early fifties with hair piled up onto a curly bun wearing a low cut dress that hugged her body and wore bright red, six inch heels.

“Whore,” muttered the woman with glasses. You pressed your lips together to keep from laughing out loud as the woman named Bernie gave you a smirk.

“First time competing?” she asked.

“Is it that obvious?”

“We just haven’t seen you around before. I’m Bernie, this is Rosemary.”

“You look familiar,” said Rosemary. “Are you Betty’s granddaughter? The one that runs that boutique over on third?”

“No, that’s actually down the street from me,” you explained. “I run the coffee shop called The Honey Pot.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about that!” said Bernie. “My daughter loves your spinach quiche, she brings it home all the time!”

“Better you win than her,” said Rosemary, nodding over to Cheryl. “Last thing we need is her winning five times in a row.”

“All right everyone, may I have your attention,” said a man with a megaphone. “We’re about to start the pie baking contest. If everyone could please line up behind your pie, we will begin in a few minutes.”

“Here we go,” sighed Bernie. “Good luck ladies.”

You watched as the man with the speaker along with two other women line up at the end of the table with clipboards in hands. They introduced themselves to the other contestants and studied their pies as they cut into them and took a small bite. You felt yourself start to sweat as you noticed they spent a little more time on how people decorated their pies compared to how they tasted.

“Ah, Bernadette, lovely to see you again this year,” said the man. “I always look forward to your key lime pie.”

“Thank you, Raymond. I did change it up a little, so I hope you enjoy it,” smiled Bernie.

After the judges tasted hers, they moved on over to Rosemary’s who already had her hands crossed and looked at all of them expectantly. 

“Ah, this pumpkin pie is delicious, Rosemary! You’ve really outdone yourself,” said Raymond.

“It’s actually sweet potato pie,” said Rosemary icily.

“Oh right, right, of course. Uh, what’s next?” asked Raymond. “Ooh, a cherry pie. Surprisingly, you’re the only who put one in. Let’s see how it tastes.”

You looked at the judges apprehensively as you studied their faces, searching for any signs of disgust. Raymond hummed in approval while the other two ladies gave you polite smiles.

“Very good! Now, on to the next,” said Raymond.

The judges went down the line and you saw that the woman, Cheryl Turner, was the last to be judged. She stuck out her chest as she personally served the judges a slice of her pie and you couldn’t help but envy the way her lattice pie was perfectly tucked and parallel. 

After the judges finished tasting, they walked away from the table and began talking amongst each other as they looked through the criteria sheets on their clipboards. When they looked like they finally came to a decision, Raymond grabbed his megaphone while the other judge held three ribbons.

“Alright, time to announce the results!” said Raymond. “In third place we have… Cynthia Pineda and her Mississippi mud pie!”

“That’s fair,” said Bernie as she clapped along with everyone else.

“That’s not even pie, it’s just cream and crushed cookies!” spat Rosemary.

“In second place,” continued Raymond. “You may have had a few of her pies at her own shop, and we are so lucky to have tasted one for ourselves!”

Raymond called out your name and you blinked in surprise as you heard Roger whistling loudly amongst the crowd. You looked over and also saw Mallory with him, both cheering you on as they jumped up and down in excitement.

“Well go on girl, claim your prize,” said Rosemary as she nudged your arm. It felt like you were in a dream as you walked up to the judges and accepted your red, second place ribbon with a fifty-dollar cash reward. As you walked back to your place at the table, you didn’t even notice the first place winner being called.

“Well, she wins again,” sighed Bernie. “We’ll try again next year.”

“No matter, at least she got second,” said Rosemary. “Look at Cheryl, she knows competition when she sees it.”

You looked over at Cheryl as she gave you a tight smile and turned her back on you as she chatted away with the judges. You were still in shock that you even managed to place, especially given that you knew you could do better on presentation.

“I still can’t believe I won,” you admitted.

“You deserve it, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” said Rosemary. “C’mon Bernie, let’s go treat ourselves to some funnel cake. Congratulations dear, we’ll be sure to stop by at your shop this week.”

You waved goodbye to the ladies and as you looked down at your ribbon, you were bombarded by a big group hug from Roger and Mallory.

“You did it! I knew you could do it!” yelled Roger.

“I’m glad I got here just in time! That pie looked so good, even from all the way in the back!” exclaimed Mallory. “You are amazing!”

You laughed as you hugged your friends back, forgetting all the stress and worry from this morning. For the first time in what felt like a long time, you were the happiest you had ever been since moving to the city of Roseville.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Minor character death

A deep, grated voice bellowed out from Danny’s speakers as he searched through his closet for his black boots. He sighed in annoyance at the build-up of dried mud on the soles and walked over to the kitchen sink to clean it off.

The next song came on and his ears vibrated pleasantly to the heavy guitar riff and loud percussion. When he made sure that every speck of dirt was washed, he set them on the counter and went back into his room. He grabbed his duffel bag and went to pack his usual Ghostface attire but hesitated as he pulled out his long, belted jacket.

Ghostface had a signature when it came to killing; stalking his victims for weeks beforehand and then ending their lives in the comfort of their own homes. He thrived in his own consistency but there were times that he wanted to branch out from the norm. So far in doing so, he hadn’t killed you yet and though the thought of it excited him, there was another part that wanted to keep this game of cat and mouse going.

“Different location, different attire,” he murmured to himself. Danny put away his jacket and pulled out a simple black hoodie. It would be foolish of him to dress as the Ghostface in such a public place and if he wanted to get away with trying something new, he had to adapt to this new environment.

Danny quickly dressed into his new clothes but kept his signature black boots and packed his mask in a drawstring bag along with a polaroid camera. The sun was barely starting to set and he wanted to make sure he got to the spot he already staked out beforehand.

It didn’t take long for him to arrive at the fair but instead of driving into the designated parking lot, he drove past it and pulled into a corn field about a mile away. 

The tall stalks shrouded his car perfectly as he drove along the dirt road and parked near the edge of the joining forest. Danny turned off the engine and took in a deep breath as he pulled out his knife attached to his calf under his pants. He softly fingered the sharp edge of the blade with his gloved hands, imagining it being covered in the bright red stain he had come to fall in love with.

Putting it back in its sheath, Danny got out of the car and started the walk toward the edge of the fair. Despite the sound of people and carnival rides in the distance, it was still quiet as the sun finally dipped over the horizon. The night chill came quick as the wind whipped across his face, messing his perfectly styled hair that Jed had worked so hard on this morning. Danny didn’t mind it though, he loved it when the face of Jed would slowly come off to show who he truly was.

Danny slid behind a tree and spotted the fence that surrounded the entire fair. Normally, there would be security guarding the perimeters from anyone sneaking in but Danny had watched long enough to know that the ones assigned at night slacked more than the morning shift.

Spotting the hole he had cut a few nights previously, he waited for at least half an hour before crawling his way in and sneaking through one of the tents.

The area was empty and he spotted a sign that read ‘Baking Contest’ a few yards away at the entrance. He immediately thought of you and wondered how well you did against the other contestants. Smells of sugar and burnt pastry still lingered in the air and his mouth instantly watered at the thought of your cherry pie.

“Wonder if she saved any for me,” he snickered to himself.

Danny walked out and instantly blended into the throng of people as he made his way toward the fun houses. No one gave him a second glance as he studied people in line for the rides, eating plates full of funnel cake and playing the rigged carnival games with cheap stuffed animals as prizes.

“Ha! I won! I knew all those years of baseball would come in handy!”

Danny pretended to stand in line for cotton candy as he watched Roger do a little victory dance while you laughed at his ridiculousness. The volunteer running the stand handed over a teardrop-shaped plushie to him, which then Roger quickly gave it to you.

“What’s this for? You’re the one who won,” you said. 

“Take it, you deserve it along with your ribbon and prize money,” insisted Roger.

“Why don’t you give it to Mallory? I’m sure she’ll love it.”

“Nah. No offense, but I’m aiming for the bigger one,” grinned Roger as he pointed toward a giant stuffed teddy bear.

Danny rolled his eyes as he got to the front of the line and paid for a large, pink cotton candy. He watched you for a few moments more as he ate his sugary treat, licking his lips as his eyes drifted to the area where all the funhouses were.

Throwing away the rest of his cotton candy in a nearby trash can, Danny pulled his hood over his head as he broke away from the crowd and walked toward the back of the fair.

He slid in between the shadows and saw Mallory usher in a group of teenage boys as she glanced at the watch on her wrist.

“You’re the last group for tonight, okay?” she said. “I need everyone to be out in time for the firework show.”

The boys nodded and chased after each other as they sprinted into the funhouse, tripping over the spinning tunnel and laughing at the ones who fell. Mallory clipped the rope behind her and leaned against the podium as she looked toward the side exit.

Danny hid behind an empty souvenir stall as he watched a few stragglers head over to the main area of the fair. Just as the group of boys left, Mallory turned off the funhouse, grabbed a pan and broom from the podium and headed inside.

He waited a few minutes before sliding his hand in his bag and pulled out his mask. Taking another quick look around the area, he put it over his face and slowly unsheathed his knife from his leg. 

Ghostface crept his way in and tried his best not to disturb the plastic noodles that hung from the ceiling. It was unusually quiet and the only thing that could be heard was Mallory’s faint humming coming from further down the colorful hallways.

“Mallory! Are you in here?”

Ghostface froze and as he frantically looked around for a spot to hide. The narrow room was filled with clown-faced mannequins and as the newer set of footsteps drew closer, he backed up against the wall and stood as still as he could.

A young man around Mallory’s age walked right past Ghostface and peeked his head around the corner.

“You almost finished in there? One of your friends said they were looking for you.”

“I’m almost done, Jay,” said Mallory. “People just like to dump their trash in here. Shouldn’t be longer than ten minutes.”

“Alright, well hurry up. You don’t want to miss the firework show.”

Jay turned around and walked past Ghostface without even giving him a single glance. He considered himself to be extremely lucky that such an idiot wouldn’t notice the face of the city’s infamous serial killer but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. There were already so many things that could’ve gone wrong, he didn’t want to risk anything else from happening.

Ghostface peeled himself off the wall and walked silently down the hallway. He came to the room of mirrors and saw Mallory with her back turned to him as she swept. His hands shook in excitement as he raised his knife at the exact moment when Mallory looked up to see his reflection in the mirror.

She let out a piercing scream but it was quickly silenced as Ghostface placed his hand over her mouth and stabbed her in the back. Mallory struggled to get away and Ghostface let her go as she stumbled onto the ground and desperately tried to escape.

“Please! Someone...Jay...help me!” she cried. “He’s going to kill me!”

Ghostface raised his knife again and just as he brought it down, Mallory scrambled out of the way, barely missing his blade. He chuckled as she disappeared around the corner, watching her terrified expression through the mirrored walls.

Despite the reflections bouncing off each other, Ghostface followed the small puddles of blood and paused as they became smaller. He frowned, knowing he had hit close to one of her major arteries in her lower back. Ghostface crouched onto the ground and peered through the holes of his mask when he saw a bloody footprint headed toward a gap in between one of the mirrors.

A loud explosion went off outside and Ghostface recognized the sound of fireworks. Using it as an opportunity, he walked over to the mirror and used all of his strength to kick it down. It still remained standing but the large cracks in it told him that another few would break it.

“Please, don’t kill me, please!” cried Mallory. “I’ll do anything, please!”

Ghostface ignored her cries and continued kicking the mirror until it completely shattered. Just as he adjusted his footing, Mallory charged at him and pushed him away, knocking him to the ground. He was shocked at the strength she had left and laughed as he got up and chased after her.

Blood was smeared across the mirrors as he saw Mallory trying to guide herself to the exit by leaning against them. Ghostface’s eyes widened a bit as he saw the glowing green exit sign in one of the reflections, knowing she had seen it too. She sprinted at the sight of it and just when Ghostface was about to follow, Mallory ran straight through another mirror.

The shattering of the glass was so loud but the fireworks going on muffled it completely. Ghostface hummed and shook his head as she whimpered, her body twitching from the shock.

“Y-You’re not going to get away with this,” mumbled Mallory. “They’ll find you and catch you!”

“No, they won’t,” whispered Ghostface. “Try to think of this as an honor. You’re going to be famous.”

Ghostface dropped his knife to the floor as he slid off his bag and took out his polaroid camera. He aimed it down at Mallory as he snapped a picture, capturing the fear that emanated throughout her entire face.

“Perfect,” he said as he tucked the picture away in his bag. “But I’m going to need you to look up at me. Don’t be shy, the camera loves you.”

He knelt down and grabbed her chin as he forced her to look up at him. Blood spurted from her mouth and onto his mask, but he paid no attention to hit as he took another picture. Ghostface picked his knife back up and slowly stabbed her in the heart, watching as she choked on her own blood.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure your family and friends will cry for you,” he said. “But most importantly, she’ll know that no matter where she goes or who she’s with, she will always belong to me. Now smile.”

Ghostface stood back up and faced the camera toward him so he could be in the picture as well. Raising it above his head, he lifted his other hand in a peace sign and took the picture, the camera blinding him momentarily. 

As the photo slid out of the camera’s mouth, he waved it back and forth so the image could appear faster. Looking at it with fondness, he set it down beside the corpse that lay at his feet, catching the last light that left her eyes.


	22. Chapter 22

“That was fun!” you exclaimed as you walked through the parking lot. “It’s too bad we didn’t get to see Mallory though.”

“I know but she probably got caught up at work,” sighed Roger. “What am I supposed to do with this thing?”

You watched as Roger struggled to carry the five-foot bear on his back as you finally arrived at his car. Its fluffy, white fur was already starting to shed and the red bow tied around its neck was starting to come undone.

“Just keep it at your place overnight. I’m sure she’ll be at the shop tomorrow before she heads to class,” you said. “You can give it to her then.”

“But isn’t that weird? Like giving it to her in front of everyone,” said Roger as the both of you got in the car. “I don’t want to embarrass her.”

“Maybe or it could be really cute,” you shrugged. “If you want, you can give it to her in the back; that way no one will see you guys.”

“I’m thinking this whole thing was a bad idea.”

“It’s a sweet idea,” you insisted. “If it makes you feel any better, I like the one you got me.”

You lifted the prize he had won earlier; a chubby ghost plushie with big black eyes and a red mouth turned upward into a smile. At first, you were hesitant to accept it, seeing as you already had a certain ghost problem to worry about. However, you didn’t want to destroy the hopeful look on Roger’s face, so you took it with a smile.

“It is pretty cute,” admitted Roger. “So, you going to hang up your ribbon at the shop? I think the perfect spot would be just above the register on the wall so everyone can see. Or maybe on the board next to the clock?”

You made what little small talk you could and let out a sigh of relief as Roger pulled up to your place. Saying goodbye, you got out of the car and walked into the lobby to see Jed arguing with Nick.

“...and what I’m telling you, Nick, is that I am legally obligated to have it. I signed a lease!” said Jed.

“There’s been construction for weeks, I have no choice but to park in front,” said Nick as he let out a burp. You wrinkled your nose in disgust as you spotted the pile of beer cans behind the counter he sat on.

“They haven’t even gotten to our street yet! This is completely unfair-”

“Tough titties, Olsen,” shrugged Nick. “Watcha want sweetcheeks? Another lock replacement?”

“Actually, yes,” you said with narrowed eyes. “The locks you replaced don’t latch all the way. I need new ones, again.”

“You sure you didn’t break them?” asked Nick. You were about to reply with a snarky comment but Nick shook his head and continued. “Whatever, but this time you’ll have to go out and buy the locks you want. Also, I require an installation fee.”

“Forget it, I’ll figure it out myself,” you spat. Not even bothering to look at Jed, you walked past both men and headed upstairs to your apartment.

“If anything breaks, it’ll cost ya!” yelled Nick.

“You already overcharge for rent and now you want more for something that’s already your job? Disgusting pig,” you muttered under your breath as you struggled to find your keys and fiddled with the knob.

You flung the door open and slammed it behind you, hoping Nick heard it. Not that it mattered anyway, it seemed he was already having problems with Jed.

Throwing everything onto your bed, you headed straight to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Letting the hot water run until you saw steam, you stripped off your clothes and stepped in, letting out a sigh as the water hit your back.

As you washed your hair, you thought back to earlier that day when you came in second place at the baking contest. In your mind, it was an actual miracle that you even managed to place and you wondered what would’ve happened if you hadn’t overslept.

“Maybe I’ll beat them next year,” you said wistfully. “Maybe then I won’t oversleep like an idiot.”

Using up just enough hot water for Nick not to yell at you later, you got out of the shower and changed into your fluffy, white bathrobe. Deciding you would eat that chocolate cake you had been saving, you walked into your bedroom but what you saw made you stop in place.

Ghostface was rifling through your top drawer, completely ignoring you as you watched him in shock. He held his knife in the other hand and you didn’t know whether to scream or make a run for the door.

“This can’t be all you have,” he said. “For some reason, I’d thought you’d be a little more- actually, nevermind. Jackpot.”

Ghostface pulled out a lacey, black thong with two straps on each side. Your face grew hot as he held it up and began to stretch it out in front of you.

“Stop it! Give me that!” you said as tried to snatch it from him. He easily held it away from you and raised his knife to prevent you from coming any closer.

“I knew that babydoll shit wasn’t your style,” he chuckled. “Wait, does this come with a set? You keep that in a different place or..?”

“Did you just come here to raid my drawers?” you seethed.

“It was already opened,” shrugged Ghostface as he pocketed the panties. “You treat all your guests this way?”

“You’re not exactly a guest if you break in!”

“But you invited me,” he said. “Remember? Back at your shop, after we were so rudely interrupted.”

“Yeah, and you didn’t show up! You left me alone, wondering if you were going to come and-” you stopped yourself, mortified at what had slipped.

“Ah, were you waiting for me?” snickered Ghostface. “Well, if I had known you were going to be wearing something like this, things would’ve been different.”

He played with the collar on your robe and his fingers trailed downward as he tugged on the straps that tied it together. He leaned in toward your face and you could hear him sniff your scent through his mask. 

“You’re wearing that body scrub you use when you’re stressed. Don’t know why though, you won second place in the contest.”

“You were watching me?” you asked.

“No, your ribbon’s on the bed,” said Ghostface as he pointed over to it. “Along with that cute little prize you got. I have to ask, did you pick it out with me in mind?”

“It was a gift!” you said. “It’s only a horrible coincidence that it’s in the shape of a ghost.”

“I wouldn’t say horrible,” he snickered. “Something to keep you company while the real thing is..busy.”

“Busy ruining people’s lives,” you said. “You got your creepy token, can you please leave?”

“Quick question, what did you think was going to happen if I did come that night?” asked Ghostface. “You already know I don’t want to kill you, so there must have been something else on your mind.”

You blinked multiple times as you tried to come up with an answer when you felt his blade slide against your collarbone. He pressed softly against your flesh and right when you were about to object, his other hand untied your robe and settled just above your cunt.

He waited as his finger slowly started to slip inside and you found yourself nodding, giving him permission. Ghostface suddenly stopped and reached for his mask, making your heart pound against your chest. He slightly lifted it and stuck three of his fingers in his mouth, sucking them so loudly it made you shiver.

Ghostface put his mask back down and you saw that his gloves were glistened with spit. You let out a gasp as he slid them inside you, his thumb rubbing circles against your clit. 

Your legs began to shake as you leaned against the wall for support and covered your mouth to muffle the desperate noises that were trying to escape.

“Don’t do that,” warned Ghostface as he lifted his knife to your throat. “I want to hear you.”

You shakily removed your hand from your mouth as he pinched your clit. You moaned and instinctively reached out to grab his shoulder, pulling him closer.

“Aw, Sweets, do you want more?” he asked. Ghostface suddenly stopped moving and you whined in response. “Take off your robe and I might be nice.”

You hesitated only for a moment before sliding off what little coverage you had, fully exposing yourself to the murderer in front of you. He hummed in approval as he slid his fingers back in, this time pumping them harder to the point where it was almost painful.

“Say my name,” he whispered.

“Uh, G-Ghostface-”

“No. You can call me Danny.”

You never expected to receive a name from him, let alone his affections but when you didn’t speak, he gave your clit another pinch.

“Aah! Danny,” you gasped. 

“Hmm, has a nice ring when you say it,” he chuckled. “Again.”

“Danny,” you said, almost pleadingly. “Please, I...please.”

“You can’t even say what you want,” said Danny as he shook his head. “Good thing I already know.”

He put his knife away and grabbed you by the throat as he rapidly fucked you with his fingers, his gloves becoming slicker with your cum with each thrust. Your knees began to buckle while your clit throbbed in pleasure, bringing you closer to release. 

Danny squeezed your neck so tightly that right when you began to lose consciousness, he released his hold on you as you came all over his hand. You took in huge gulps of air as you slid down onto the floor, trying to see through your blurry vision.

“It’s been awhile for you, hasn’t it? That or you wouldn’t have come so-ooh! Hold that pose,” said Danny. He pulled out his camera from his pocket and brushed your hair away from your face. “Look up.”

You did as you were told and blinked as the flash blinded you. Danny continued taking more pictures and with each click of the button, you could see him growing harder, even beneath his long jacket.

“I could say the same for you,” you said, jutting your chin towards his crotch. “Guess you don’t really have the time because, you know, you’re so busy doing things.”

“I did have a long night.”

The two of you said nothing as you stared up at him, slowly reaching out your hand toward his jacket. You moved it aside and finally came to his pants, your hands shaking as you undid his belt and zipper.

He stood unusually still as your eyes widened at his lack of underwear, his cock thicker than you anticipated. It curved near the end and there was already precum leaking from the tip. 

Everything inside your brain told you to stop, that if you went through this, there would be no turning back. Shoving all those thoughts away and still riding the high of your own orgasm, you grabbed his cock and placed your mouth around his head. 

Danny let out a shivering moan as you took him in as much as you could. You slid your tongue alongside his shaft as you bobbed your head back and forth. You pulled back to take another breath but Danny didn’t give you the time as he shoved himself down your throat. 

You gagged at his girth as he thrust with such force that you hit your head against the wall. You tried to slow him down by putting your hands on his waist but he quickly grabbed them and placed them above your head. 

His grunts told you that he was close and before you could take the time to prepare yourself, he shot his cum down your throat. You expected the taste to be foul but you were pleasantly surprised that it was sweet. 

You tried to pull away, his cum leaking from the corners of your mouth, when he released your hands and kept your head in place. 

“Don’t move,” he panted as he raised his camera. “Just one last picture.”

It was over before you knew it and you gasped as he removed himself from your mouth. You wiped the rest with the back of your hand and watched as he tucked his dick away and zipped his pants back up.

“So wait...that’s it?” you asked.

“Aw, did you want to cuddle?” teased Danny. 

You didn’t say anything as you watched him walk over to your window and lift it, putting one leg over onto the fire escape. 

“Bye Danny.”

He looked back over his shoulder but remained silent. You didn’t mean to say anything, it just slipped out and you felt your face heat up once more. 

You watched him leave your room as you sat there for a few minutes before walking over and closing the window. Crawling into bed, it took you awhile to fall asleep, but when you did, all you could dream about was the silent scream of his white mask.


	23. Chapter 23

The ride to the fairgrounds in the morning was different compared to at night, the morning fog covering nearly everything. It was a bit of a struggle for Danny to see through it but let out a sigh of relief as he saw the flashing lights of police cars parked near the fair entrance.

As Danny parked his car closer to theirs, he looked into his rearview mirror and checked to make sure everything was in place. Not a single hair was out of line, his face clean-shaven and glasses placed somewhat crookedly onto his face. He had to admit, he pulled off the look well, save for the dark circles that hung under his eyes.

The morning after was always the most exhausting for him, mostly because his adrenaline would still be pumping hours after a kill. The high itself was so addicting that he usually stayed up the whole night, becoming so mesmerized with his own photos that it took everything just to tear his eyes away from them.

Taking one last sip of cold coffee, Jed got out of the car with his favorite journal and pen in hand. Yellow police tape was already posted up at the main entrance of the fair and Danny couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that he couldn’t walk further in. 

He spotted Detectives Hastings and Morales talking to each other beyond the tape, both with disgruntled expressions on their faces. Danny tried to stop his grin from growing too wide as he approached the men by waving his hand to get their attention.

“Detectives, Jed Olsen here from the Roseville Gazette. Are we looking at another Ghostface murder or could this possibly the work of a different killer?” asked Jed.

“Aw fuck, not you again,” grumbled Hastings. “How did you even make it here, Olsen?”

“You know we have a police scanner back at the office,” replied Jed. “So is it Ghostface then? C’mon Morales, you have to give me something.”

“We don’t have to say shit,” said Hastings. “How about you turn back around and-”

“We’re still canvassing the area,” interrupted Morales. “However, we can confirm that this is the work of the Ghostface killer.”

“How can you be sure?” asked Jed. “Was there any evidence left behind that could back up your claim?”

“His usual signature; a photograph of him with the victim,” said Morales. “He seems to be getting more bold, he usually doesn’t kill out in a public space like this. Especially with so many people around.”

“Any witnesses?” asked Jed. “Do we have an I.D. on the victim?”

“We barely just told her family, so lay off for a bit, will ya?” said Hastings. “Her name is Mallory Shaw; 21-year-old white female, who attends the local Roseville community college. Was last seen alive last night after the end of her shift. Ghostface must’ve gotten to her right before her coworker saw her last.”

“So you’re telling me that out of the hundreds of people that were here, no one saw anything?” questioned Jed. “Surely someone must’ve seen something, we’re talking about a madman walking around in a distinct white mask! You couldn’t find any other witnesses besides her coworker?”

“Fuck off Olsen, that’s all we’re giving you,” said Hastings. “Now run along and write your report; put some extra salt in the wound to her family.”

“Writing obituaries may not seem very important to you, Detective Hastings, but I can assure you that is,” said Jed. “You are the ones who have taken the burden to let the family know what has happened here. I’m the one who has to smooth over your mistakes. Remember when Tiffany Soto died? Her family wouldn’t stop talking about how dismissive you were of her death.”

“Don’t you bring that up again-”

“If I remember correctly, you told her family that it wasn’t surprising that you found her in that alley riddled with the other dead junkies,” said Jed coldly. “Forget the multiple stab wounds to the chest, all you saw were the bruised marks on her arms.”

“That was early in the Ghostface cases, we had no idea what we were dealing with at that time!” yelled Hastings. “What the hell are you still doing here!? Get out!”

“Hastings, stop it!” said Morales. “The last thing we need is another write up.”

“You should listen to your partner, Hastings,” said Jed. “Remember first amendment rights? Freedom of speech and freedom of the press? I can recite it for you if you’d like.”

Hastings gave Jed the middle finger and stalked back toward the fun houses while Morales shook his head and sighed.

“Listen Olsen, I know it’s your job but lay off a bit, will ya? You know how much this case means to him.”

“There is a murderer in our city, Morales,” said Jed sternly. “This is the fifth victim he has claimed and people are scared. I’m not leaving here until I get something that will assure everyone that you’re at least a little bit closer to catching him.”

“We found a partial foot print,” said Morales quietly. “It’s not much but judging from the shape, it’s possible that the Ghostface wears the average combat boots, either a size 11 or 12. Forensics is still looking into it so we can possibly verify his height…”

Jed nodded and wrote down the information while Danny tried to keep his hand from shaking. It was the first time that he had left any evidence behind and he cursed himself for trying something different. He knew he shouldn’t have strayed from his usual work; he knew that any mishap, any alteration to what he already perfected would put him at risk of getting caught. Danny had vowed to himself that he would never get cocky, never think he was smarter than others, because there was always someone who could get the upper hand on him.

But trying something so new, so refreshing; it was a rush that he still couldn’t come off of. Being in an area he hadn’t really come to be familiar with was nerve-wracking and thrilling at the same time. It reminded him of when he first started, when he would fumble around, knock things over and sloppily kill his victims with cheap knives that would break on impact.

“...but we’re all struggling here, even Hastings if you can believe it. Speaking of which, you don’t look too good yourself, Olsen. Looks like you haven’t slept for days.”

“Boss likes to keep me busy,” said Jed. “Thank you Morales, I should have this out by tomorrow.”

“Just remember what I said, Olsen,” said Morales. “At the end of the day, we’re all on the same side.”

“Of course,” nodded Jed. He put his notepad back into his bag and waved goodbye to the detective. Making sure that Morales was out of sight, he pulled out his camera and began taking pictures of the fair. He zoomed in on the fun house where he killed Mallory and saw Morales meet up with Hastings. Danny grinned as he took a shot of Hastings yelling at Morales. 

Danny drove back to the office and wrote up the rest of his article, including the details Morales had provided. Normally, it wouldn’t take long to write the first article of the Ghostface murders but Danny couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that was starting to grow in the pit of his stomach. Despite being able to get away with murder again, the fact that he made the smallest mistake was enough to get him to consider leaving Roseville before things got too hot.

“You still here Olsen?” asked Martin. Jed briefly looked up at his editor and noticed that it was already dark out and everyone in the office had gone home.

“I guess I am,” sighed Jed. “Sorry about that, it’s been a long day.”

“You know you can always hand off this article to someone else,” said Martin. “Writing about these murders are important but I can see how much they’ve taken a toll on you.”

“I’ve got this Martin,” said Jed firmly. “Trust me, I’ve just had a couple bad days, nothing to worry about.”

“Go home, Jed,” said Martin as he put a hand on his shoulder. “You deserve some rest.”

Jed gave him a weak smile as he shut off his computer and packed up his things. Now that he thought about it, all Danny wanted to do was go home and take a long, hot shower and just enjoy reminiscing about his latest work. Danny tried his best not to discriminate but there was something oddly satisfying about hearing the desperate screams of a woman compared to a man’s. The high pitch, the fountain of tears and the instinct to flee and outrun rather than fight.

Danny was home before he knew it and not even Nick taking his parking spot could damper his good mood. He was just about to call it a night when he heard footsteps coming up from right behind him. He turned to see you with a few boxes from your shop in hand as you gave him a small wave.

“Hey Jed, good to see you again,” you said.

“Same,” he nodded. “How’s your day been? I’m surprised you didn’t close the shop early.”

“Why would I do that?” you asked as you tilted your head to the side.

_Oh, she doesn’t know._

“Would it be okay if I come over in a bit?” asked Jed. “It’s really important.”

“Uh, okay? Give me like fifteen minutes.”

Jed nodded as he watched you walk into your apartment and returned to his own. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Danny barked out a laugh. He was surprised that Morales and Hastings hadn’t approached you yet about Mallory’s death, especially considering that you were one of her friends. It gave Danny great pleasure that he would be the one to break it to you, that he would be able to relish in all of your pain.

Danny changed quickly and when he knocked on your door, he was bothered that your smile was always a little bigger when he was Jed.

“Hey, come on in! Seems like forever since we last hung out,” you said. 

Danny looked around your apartment and although the picture of Ghostface was missing, he could see the ghost plushie was now sitting on your couch. He grew more annoyed that it wasn’t in your room but he quickly dismissed the thought and motioned for you to take a seat.

“Please, sit down. Something happened today at work and I feel like it’s best that you hear it from me before anyone else,” said Jed.

“Why, what happened?”

Jed sat down next to you and took both of your hands, biting his lip as Danny looked away toward your bedroom. The memory of you on your knees while you took him inside your mouth made his cock twitch, wondering if you would ever do it again.

“There was another Ghostface murder,” he said softly. “It happened last night, at the fair. It was someone who worked there and...they suspect she was killed during the firework show.”

Danny watched as your eyes widened in fear and he tried to keep a smirk from growing on his face as he felt your hands begin to shake.

“But I was there! He couldn’t have, there were so many people! Someone must’ve seen something,” you said. “W-Who was it?”

Jed sighed and began to rub the sides of your shoulders as the tears began to fall down your face.

“You said she...who was it, Jed? Tell me who it was!”

Jed shook his head as you collapsed in his arms, crying so loud that your entire body shook erratically.

“He told me he wouldn’t- he lied to me- he said he would leave them alone!” you choked. “Tell me it wasn’t Mallory, tell me it wasn’t her!”

Jed whispered words of comfort as he rocked your body back and forth while you wailed at the loss of your friend. Danny smiled as he stroked your hair and gave you small kisses on your head, regretting that he couldn’t take a picture of your lovely, grief-stricken face.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed my latest fic! I would really appreciate if you could support and follow me at https://www.twitch.tv/gemini_jinx or donate at https://ko-fi.com/sleepydaydreamz


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